From the Ashes
by TinaLynne
Summary: Sequel to In the Line of Duty: Sue has a secret will it come between her and Jack forever?


_From the Ashes_

Chapter 1

Entering the bullpen, Jack Hudson's dark eyes did a quick scan of the room. She wasn't at her desk, and he felt his heart sink just a little. He had seen her just the night before, but lately he'd found that the moment Sue Thomas left his sight, all he could think about was the next time they'd be together.

"She's been and gone, mate," Bobby Manning told him, anticipating the question Jack had yet to voice.

"Where to?"

"She and Myles went off to check out a lead that just came in on that money laundering case they've been working on," his best friend replied. Jack nodded. It had been nearly three months since Sue had been assigned Myles Leland III as her training agent, ever since she and Jack had begun seeing each other romantically.

When he and Sue had gone to see Ted Garrett after their undercover assignment as a married couple had wrapped up, he hadn't seemed very surprised by their request to date each other. Jack suspected that he'd been expecting it all along. The two had pleaded their case, telling him that they would like to remain on the same team and that they wouldn't let their personal lives interfere with work. Jack had mentioned the no-dating policy, pointing out that it generally applied to agents only. He also had acknowledged the fact that he could no longer be Sue's training agent but had assured their boss that this would in no way affect their ability to do their jobs. Garrett had eyed them sternly, telling them to give him a day to reach a decision.

The following morning he'd called them both into his office and informed them that so long as it didn't interfere with their work, they had his approval to see each other romantically. Jack had tried to contain his enthusiasm and could see that Sue was doing the same. Her eyes had been shining with happiness as she kept her eyes on the man sitting across from them. Garrett had told them that the role of training agent would now go to Myles Leland. They had shot each other a look of surprise, but before they could respond further, Garrett had asked Jack to send Myles in so that he could discuss this new situation with both him and Sue. Jack had nodded at Garrett and with a wide smile at the blonde sitting next to him, he had left the room, feeling like he was walking on air.

The news that Myles would now act as Sue's training agent had certainly raised a few eyebrows. When Sue had first joined the team, Myles made no secret of the fact that he expected her to fall flat on her face. But that had been nearly three years ago, and Sue had managed to earn Myles' respect. At the same time, she'd developed a healthy respect for the tall blonde agent as well. Much to the surprise of their co-workers, the two had proven a good team. And while Jack couldn't deny that he missed being more involved with Sue at work, their close involvement outside of work more than made up for it. Still, on a morning like this, when all he wanted was to see her face before he began his day, Jack couldn't help but want more out of their relationship.

They had spent the previous evening at his place. After cooking dinner, they had cuddled up on the couch to watch a movie. By the time it was over, Sue was resting her head on his shoulder, nearly asleep. She had smiled sheepishly at him, sitting up to stretch languorously. He grinned at her and pulled her into his lap, kissing her softly at first, then hungrily as he felt her respond.

Things had become heated, as they often seemed to when the two of them were alone for any length of time. His fingers had wandered underneath her shirt, massaging the skin of her lower back before moving up to finger the clasp of her bra. Before he could attempt to undo it, Sue had pulled away, smiling at him ruefully. "If I don't leave now, I may never get home," she told him softly.

"Then stay," he'd whispered, leaning in to kiss her again. She'd let out a sigh of contentment as his lips left hers to plant kisses on her neck.

"Jack, I really should go," she'd murmured softly in his ear.

He pulled back so she could read his lips. "I really wish you wouldn't," he'd replied, giving her a longing glance. For a moment he had thought that he'd weakened her resolve, but she sighed and disentangled herself from his grasp.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she'd told him, leaning forward to give him a quick kiss before bolting from the couch. He had followed her, gripping her gently around the waist as she reached the door. Her hearing dog, Levi had been standing by the door expectantly, waiting patiently for Sue to put his leash on.

_You OK_? Jack had signed to her. She'd nodded, but something in her eyes said otherwise. He had eyed her doubtfully. She wasn't usually in such a big hurry to escape from his arms.

"I'm just tired; it's been a long week," Sue had assured him.

"Okay. Well, if you're too tired to drive, there's always the couch," he'd told her with a wink, pulling her against him for another kiss before she could say another word.

"Jack! I've got to go," Sue had said, laughing as she wriggled out of his arms. "It's getting late."

"I know." Jack had watched her turn to Levi and put on his leash before meeting his gaze again. "Hey, do you have any plans day after tomorrow?" he'd asked her suddenly.

"Saturday?" He'd nodded, and Sue had studied him thoughtfully. "Well, the case we're working on is winding down, so it looks like I'll get the weekend off. And I don't have any plans yet," she'd answered casually, but Jack had seen the curiosity in her eyes.

"Now you do," Jack had informed her with an affectionate smile. "You're mine for the day."

"I think I can live with that," she'd teased. "What are we going to do?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out," had been his cryptic answer.

Sue had raised an eyebrow at him. "Very mysterious, Agent Hudson. I'll look forward to it." They had exchanged another kiss, holding each other tightly for a moment, then she left. Jack had watched her leave, trying to shake the feeling that something was off. While things had been going great between them, he had gotten the impression that she'd been a little preoccupied lately. Sometimes when they were together, she seemed a million miles away. Whenever he'd questioned her, she'd just told him that she was tired or wasn't feeling very well. He'd been worried about her, but she'd assured him that she was okay. Still, sometimes when she looked at him, it seemed like she was holding something back.

"So is tomorrow the day?" Bobby asked Jack, snapping him out of his musings and back to the present. The Aussie had known that Jack was going to try and make plans with Sue for Saturday.

"Yup. I asked her last night," he replied with a crooked grin.

"Nervous?"

"A little," Jack admitted. "I just want it to be perfect."

"Come on, you've got nothing to worry about," Bobby assured him. Jack nodded, wishing he felt as confident as Bobby sounded. He was about to take a huge step, and he couldn't help feeling a bit of trepidation. This woman meant the world to him, and tomorrow he was going to make sure she knew it.

Chapter 2

Jack picked her up just before eleven on Saturday morning. When she'd asked where they were going, he'd winked at her and told her to wear shoes she'd be able to hike in. He had also asked if she could leave Levi at home this time. She'd looked at him curiously, but hadn't pressed him further. He drove them to one of his favorite hiking spots, a place he didn't get to nearly as often as he would have liked. Sue got out of the car and looked around her, a soft smile on her lips. Jack pulled out the blanket and picnic lunch he'd packed from the trunk, while Sue took in the scenery around them. "It's beautiful here, Jack," she breathed. "I had no idea what to expect when you told me to wear hiking shoes, but this is wonderful."

"I'm glad you like it," Jack told her. "I like to come hiking here sometimes." Sue approached him and took the blanket from under his arm.

"You packed a picnic lunch, too? Jack, I must say I'm impressed," she said in mock surprise.

"Hey, I'm more than just a pretty face," he teased. She chuckled, and the two of them headed for the marked trail. They were going mostly uphill, and it was a bit steep in places. Sue's foot slipped at one point, and she reached for Jack's arm to steady herself.

"Sorry. I wasn't expecting it to be so steep," she said, letting go of his arm.

He grinned at her and squeezed her hand. "You've got nothing to be sorry about, you can hold on to me all you want. I'll admit, it's easier to hike this trail when you're not carrying anything, but I really wanted to share this with you."

"I'm glad you did. It's nice to get away from the city once in awhile," Sue remarked.

"I agree. There's something very peaceful about this place," Jack commented. "And it's so close to the city; I don't know why I don't come here more often. We'll have to come back sometime for a real hike."

"I'd definitely be up for that," she told him with a smile.

After hiking for about ten more minutes, Jack pointed out a nice patch of grass just off the path. Sue spread out the blanket, and Jack began unloading the food and a bottle of champagne. She gave him an appreciative smile as she surveyed the picnic he'd put together. "Very nice," she told him.

"What can I say? I was inspired," Jack responded, taking her hand and pulling her into his arms for a kiss that was quick, yet passionate. When they were finished eating lunch, Jack reached over and cupped her face in his hands, gazing into her dark eyes before kissing her again. Before long they were lying down on the blanket, wrapped up in each other. He could have easily gotten carried away, she tasted so good, and the feel of her in his arms was like being in heaven. However, he was well aware that anyone could happen along the path and see them. Also, he had something very important to take care of, and despite his nervousness, he couldn't wait any longer. Jack sat up, pulling Sue with him, and took her hands in both of his. She looked at him expectantly, and he took a deep breath before speaking.

"Sue, we've been seeing each other for awhile now." Sue nodded, biting her lip and eyeing him with an almost nervous expression. "I'm happier than I've ever been, and I hope you are, too." Jack let go of her hands and reached into the picnic basket, pulling out a small velvet box. Sue gasped as he opened it, revealing a diamond ring, and her wide eyes were filled with tears as she looked at him in shock. "I want to share the rest of my life with you, loving you, being a father to your children. Will you be my wife?" He looked at her expectantly, baring his soul.

She returned his gaze, not saying a word. Suddenly the tears overflowed, and she began to cry softly, turning away from him. It immediately became apparent to Jack that these weren't tears of joy. He was stunned and watched her for a moment, unsure of what to do next. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder, and she gazed up at him with tearstained cheeks. It looked like her heart was breaking. "I'm sorry," she told him softly. "I can't do this, Jack."

"What is it? What's wrong?" Jack asked her. She shook her head and turned on him. Jack watched in stunned silence as she began gathering the remains of their picnic. He felt completely numb as he moved to help her. It was like the bottom had dropped out of his world. Sue immediately headed for the path once everything was packed, and Jack reached for her hand, stopping her. The look in her eyes as she turned to face him made his heart freeze. There was a distance there that he'd never seen before. It was like she'd put a wall up between them, and wasn't about to invite him over to her side. "Will you talk to me?" he asked her, already knowing the answer.

"Jack, I can't," she said, her voice filled with emotion. She pulled her hand away and walked quickly along the path towards the car. Jack followed, feeling tears sting his eyes as he closed his hand around the velvet box in his pocket. _What just happened?_ he wondered. Everything had felt so right, and now it had all gone so horribly wrong. Maybe it was just too soon to have proposed. But it's not like they hadn't discussed the possibility of marriage. And with the way their relationship had been progressing, marriage had seemed like the natural next step. Jack had never imagined that her reaction would be quite like this. How could he have been so off base?

Sue didn't look at him at all during the walk to the car, and Jack felt an involuntary wave of anger at the way that she was treating him. Didn't she know how much he was hurting right now? Then he brushed away the anger--he couldn't stay angry with her for very long. He just loved her too much. Besides, she was obviously hurting, too. Jack just had no clue as to why.

When they reached the car, Jack unlocked the passenger side and opened the door for Sue. She got in, still avoiding his gaze. He walked around and climbed into the driver's seat; then he took her hand. She finally looked at him, and Jack saw that her eyes were filled with tears again. _What happened? Tell me please._ he signed, his eyes pleading with her to let him in. Sue choked back a sob and shook her head.

"Not now. I need some time," she said softly. "I'm sorry, Jack." She turned her gaze toward the window, shutting him out. The drive home was completely silent, and while Jack stole glances at her from time to time, he decided to give her the space that she desired.

It was an unseasonably warm fall day, but Jack couldn't feel any warmth from the sun as they walked from the car to the entrance of Sue's apartment building. He hesitated for only a moment before pulling her into his arms, kissing her firmly, just trying to reassure himself that she wasn't lost to him. She responded for only a moment before breaking away from him, in tears again.

_I'm sorry,_ she signed. _I have to go now._ With hands that were visibly shaking, Sue unlocked the door to her building and hurried inside. Jack wasn't sure how long he stood there, trying to decide whether or not to go after her. Finally he walked back to his car, and not knowing what else to do, he prayed. He'd never imagined that this was how things would turn out. If God had a reason for all this, he'd sure love to know what it was.

Chapter 3

Sunday was one of the darkest days of Jack's life. Once he'd returned home from dropping her off the day before, he'd spent the late afternoon and most of the evening trying to call her. Sue wouldn't answer her phone or her blackberry, and when he finally got an answer, it wasn't Sue's voice on the other end. Instead, it was Lucy Dotson, telling him that Sue didn't want to talk to him right now. Her voice had been sympathetic, but she hadn't offered him any explanation as to what was going on with her roommate. Jack had finally just gone to bed and spent the better part of the night tossing and turning. The image of her face after he'd proposed haunted him all night. Finally, in the early hours of the morning, he'd drifted into a fitful sleep. When he woke around noon he felt as if he'd been run over by a truck. It had taken a long shower and several cups of coffee before he'd begun to feel human again.

He'd busied himself with cleaning his apartment, then went to the store to buy some groceries, despite the fact that he wasn't the least bit hungry. While he was out, everything he saw reminded him of her, and he decided that when he got home he would try calling her again. It was fruitless, though. She still wasn't answering. Finally that evening he couldn't take it anymore, and he drove over to her apartment.

Lucy didn't look surprised to see him on the other side of the door and smiled sympathetically at him. "She wouldn't answer the door; she _thought_ it might be you."

"She can't avoid me forever, Lucy. Can I come in?" Lucy shook her head, looking torn. Although she and Jack had known each other for years, ultimately her loyalty went to her roommate, and Jack respected that.

"Look, just please tell her that I'm here," he pleaded. "I'm prepared to wait as long as it takes. I'll sleep outside your door if I have to." Lucy raised her eyebrows but didn't say a word. "I love her, Lucy. I won't give up this easily." After a moment she nodded softly and told him to wait there for a minute. She walked away, leaving the door slightly ajar. He could hear the murmur of voices and then the sound of soft footsteps approaching.

Sue appeared in the doorway, her eyes puffy from crying. Her face crumpled when she looked at him, and he instinctively reached out his hand to her. She took it, letting him pull her into his arms. He held her until her sobbing ceased and put his hands on her shoulders, holding her at arm's length. Searching her face for any sign that she might have changed her mind, all he could see was sorrow and regret. There was no hint of the happiness that had been there just a day earlier.

_We must talk now,_ Jack signed. Sue nodded tearfully. "Can we go somewhere so that we can be alone?"

"No need," Lucy said, coming out into the hallway with Levi on his leash. "Levi and I are going to take a nice long walk, so the apartment is all yours." She gave her roommate a quick hug and flashed Jack a hopeful smile before disappearing down the hallway. Sue led the way back into the apartment, and they sat down on the couch. Careful to keep a safe distance between them, he reached over and took her hand.

"I'm sorry that I caught you off guard yesterday," he said. "But it's not like we haven't ever discussed marriage. And with the way things have been going, it just seemed like the next natural step."

"I know," she replied in a shaky voice. "I just don't think I'm ready to take that step yet."

"Okay. I understand," Jack said gently, putting an arm around her. "I'm sorry if I'm moving too fast; I won't push it. But when you're ready…"

Sue shook her head. "No, Jack. This relationship…I just--I feel like I'm losing myself, and it scares me."

Jack's heart fell, but he refused to back down. "So we'll take things more slowly," he insisted. "I don't want to pressure you; I just want you to know that I'm more than ready to commit to you. Besides, we could always have a very long engagement," he told her gently.

"I think we should break things off for a little while," she told him softly. She pulled away from him and got up off the couch, turning to study one of the pictures on the wall. Jack shook his head in confusion. He went over to her and took her arm, spinning her around to face him.

"Hey, slow down," he said in alarm. "You may not be ready to get engaged, but nothing has to change, Sue. Where is this coming from?"

"I've been feeling this way for awhile; I was just having a hard time finding the words," she admitted.

"And here I was the one who was afraid of hurting you," he said bitterly. "Little did I know that it would be the other way around."

"I never meant to hurt you, Jack," Sue protested. "We've just gotten carried away, and I feel like I've lost sight of what I want."

"What do you want?"

"I don't know," she admitted shakily.

"Oh, that's helpful!" he said sarcastically, unable to hold back his frustration any longer. "All this time I thought you wanted to be with me; why does it suddenly feel like you've been stringing me along?" Jack's voice had raised a few notches, and he forced himself to keep his cool.

"It's not like that," Sue insisted, tears streaming down her cheeks again.

"Then what is it? What is this really about, Sue? And whatever it is, we still love each other; isn't that worth something?" Jack demanded.

"Sometimes it isn't enough," Sue said, her voice barely audible.

"How trite," Jack snapped. He could see the hurt look in Sue's eyes, but for once he didn't really care. He wanted to say worse, to scream and yell, to tell her that what she'd done was the equivalent of ripping his heart out and stomping on it. But he couldn't bring himself to do that to her. She was still the woman he loved, whether or not he knew what was going on in her head.

"It's the truth, Jack. Whether you'll admit it or not." Jack just stared at her, suddenly feeling as though they were little more than strangers. He reached over and wiped the tears from her cheeks, wishing she would just be honest with him. Shaking his head softly, he turned and walked away from her. He didn't look back as he left the apartment, not wanting her to see his tears.

Chapter 4

Monday morning arrived, despite Jack's fervent wishes that it wouldn't. He didn't want to have to face Sue, but he knew that there was nothing they could do to avoid each other in the office without being obvious. Since she'd arrived about a half-hour ago, both of them had simply tried to act like nothing was wrong, although Jack knew they weren't fooling anyone. The affection and playful camaraderie that they normally shared was gone, and in its place was sadness and a tension so thick that Jack could have sliced through it with a knife. It amazed him how only two days ago he had been incredibly happy, and his world couldn't have been brighter. He shook his head sadly at how quickly it had all gone up in smoke.

He'd spoken to Bobby the night before, the only other person who'd known that he'd been planning to propose, and had briefly filled him in on what had happened. Bobby looked at Jack sympathetically now, and Lucy had a similar expression every time her gaze caught his. If not for the arson case that had just fallen into their laps, Jack was certain that he would have gone mad. He had been briefed by Garrett and was now preparing to brief the rest of the team. Everyone would be involved in this one, but at least he had the comfort of knowing that he and Sue wouldn't have to work closely with each other. As lead agent on this case, he was going to make sure that the two of them were together as little as possible. He truly believed it was the best thing for both of them right now.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" Jack asked loudly, standing up at the front of the room. Levi nudged Sue's leg to get her attention, and her eyes met Jack's for a moment as everyone began to gather around. Jack quickly looked away from her, before he had a chance to lose his focus. "We've got a new case, and it's a big one. Four arson fires have occurred over the span of two weeks, all in the D.C. area," he said, pointing to a map that was taped to the white board. There were red dots on the map, indicating the location of each fire. "The fires span an area of approximately five square miles, and all of them started in the middle of the night," he continued, after glancing at his notes.

"Why has it taken so long for the case to come our way?" Bobby asked, arms folded across his chest as he glanced at the map, then back at Jack.

"Local law enforcement has been handling it up until this point, because until the last fire, which happened early this morning, there had been no deaths or injuries," Jack explained.

"And now?" Dimitrius Gans asked, frowning as Jack pointed to a picture of a young couple and their three small children.

"Unfortunately Tammy Rogers was sleeping in the house when the fire started. She didn't make it out." Jack glanced at the picture again, thinking of the family left with a gaping hole in their lives where a wife and mother had been.

"The three other houses were empty at the time of the fires; it seems that whoever was behind this was at least making an effort to hit houses while the occupants were away. The houses were probably being watched prior to the arson," Jack theorized.

"What went wrong this time?" Tara Williams wondered aloud. "And are we sure this one is connected to the others?" As she spoke she waved around the big plastic pen she was holding, and accidentally bumped Myles in the arm with it. He looked from the ridiculous pen to Tara with a disapproving expression and shook his head. Tara just shrugged and began fidgeting with the tuft of red hair that sprouted from the top of the pen, as Jack continued to fill them in.

"The family had been away on a camping trip with some friends of theirs and were due to arrive home tonight," Jack began. "Apparently, Tammy hadn't been feeling well, but didn't want to spoil the trip for her kids by making them come home early. Her husband Dan drove her home early yesterday evening, and then went back to the campsite. There would have been no vehicle in the driveway, and if she wasn't feeling well, it's likely she would have gone straight to bed. So, from the outside it would have appeared as though no one was home," he speculated. The group was watching him intently, and his eyes rested on Sue for a moment before looking away. She looked as beautiful as ever, her brow furrowed as she concentrated on reading his lips. He lost his train of thought for a moment and glanced at his notes again.

"What we _do_ know is that around three in the morning, someone broke into a ground floor window of the house and started a fire by spreading gasoline throughout several of the rooms, then lighting it up," he continued. "There's too much damage to be able to determine much else. By the time the fire department was able to get the blaze under control, Tammy had died of smoke inhalation." He went on to explain that the other fires had been started in exactly the same way, and it had also been determined that there were valuables missing from all of the homes. Jack felt a wave of jealousy as he saw Sue nudge Myles and ask him to explain something that she'd missed. Normally Jack would be the one she would have turned to, and it pained him to know that she'd rather avoid him than approach him to ask a simple question.

He shifted his gaze from Lucy to Sue as he instructed, "Lucy, I'd like you to get me a list of the name of every convicted or suspected arsonist in the D.C. area," he instructed.

Lucy nodded. "You've got it, Jack," she said, walking quickly over to her computer to begin the requested research.

"D and Bobby, I want you two to find out which valuables were reported missing from each house, and then check with all of the local pawn shops. Whoever stole this stuff isn't likely to have held onto it for very long." Jack glanced at Myles, and then looked over at Sue, who met his eyes briefly before focussing on his lips. "Myles, Sue, pay a visit to all of the Rogers' close neighbors. Find out if any of them saw or heard anything unusual around the time of the fire. Also, find out if they saw any suspicious vehicles in the area during the past few days." They both nodded and, after Sue put Levi's leash on, they quickly followed Bobby and D out the door. Jack turned to Tara, who looked at him expectantly.

"I guess that just leaves you and me," she said, smiling gamely at him. "Where are we headed?"

"Well, first we're going to go and talk to Dan Rogers, then we need to come back and go through the case files on the other arsons." Tara smiled knowingly. "With your eagle-eyes, we just might be able to find something that was overlooked by the other investigators," Jack added.

"Well, if there's another pattern to these fires, I'll certainly do my best to find it," Tara assured him. "Let's get out of here," she said eagerly. Jack grinned, knowing that her sunny personality and contagious enthusiasm would help keep his mind off a certain blonde, as well as the ring that was sitting at home in his dresser drawer. He was grateful for that. With a last glance at the picture of the happy young family, the two of them headed out the door.

Chapter 5

Myles threw the ball hard, and Levi bounded after it eagerly. The golden retriever picked it up and raced back across the park to where Myles was standing. "Good boy, Levi," Myles told him, giving the dog a pat as he took the ball from him. Throwing it for him again, Myles thought to himself that walking the dog really wasn't so unpleasant after all. He was only doing it to help Sue out, but he realized that he was kind of enjoying himself. After they'd spoken with all of the Rogers' close neighbors, he and Sue had returned to the office, both disappointed that they hadn't uncovered a single viable witness. They were working on their report when Levi had begun pawing his owner. Sue had sighed as she got up to get his leash. When Myles had asked her what was wrong she'd told him that she just wasn't feeling all that well, and that the last thing she felt like doing was going for a walk. That's when Myles had offered to walk Levi for her, possibly surprising himself even more than it did her. He and Levi had definitely had their struggles in the past, but Myles had to admit that he was growing rather fond of the furry four-legged beast. He also knew that Sue hadn't been feeling well lately, and now that she and Jack were obviously having problems, he didn't mind lending a helping hand.

Glancing at his watch, Myles figured that it was probably time to get back to the office, and he called Levi over so that he could put on his leash.

"Agent Leland?" The sound of his name being spoken by a soft female voice caused Myles to look up in curiosity. He found himself staring into the hazel eyes of a woman with long wavy brown hair. He immediately recognized her, even though they'd only met once, nearly three months before. Dr. Davis was a pediatrician who had been on hand when Myles had helped a woman to reunite with her kidnapped baby. It was a case that had been heart wrenching for all of them, and he had definitely been happy to see the end of it.

"Dr. Davis! How nice to see you again," Myles said warmly. She was with another woman and two little boys, whom she introduced to Myles as friends of hers. The boys suddenly took off running toward the nearby playground, and their mother glanced at the doctor.

"Meet you over there?" her friend asked, and Dr. Davis nodded as she watched her head after the children.

"They're very energetic boys; this is a good place for them to blow off some steam," she said with a smile. "What a beautiful dog you have," she commented, reaching out a hand for Levi to sniff.

"Oh, Levi isn't my dog; he belongs to a friend of mine. She wasn't feeling well, so I offered to take him for a walk," Myles explained. "We work together," he added. "His owner and I do, I mean." Myles cleared his throat, and Dr. Davis grinned at him.

"I kind of figured that's what you meant," she said with a gentle laugh. She turned her attention to Levi, who was acting like he hadn't received any affection in days, weeks even. "Well aren't you just a big softie," she told the dog, before looking back at Myles. "So how's life at the FBI these days?"

"Pretty busy. Criminals rarely take a break, it seems," Myles told her with a smile.

"No, I guess not. You know, I can relate, in a way," Dr. Davis replied cheerfully. "I'm expecting my pager to go off any second, telling me that there's a sick patient who needs my attention. I managed to clear my appointments this afternoon to visit with my friend, since she's only in town for the day. Hopefully my pager will stay silent for at least a little while longer."

"Ami!" The sound of one of the little boys hollering got the doctor's attention, and she looked over at the playground. "Watch this, Ami!" She gave the little boy a thumbs-up as he made it across the monkey bars unaided.

"Well, I hope you have a nice visit with them," Myles told her.

"Thanks. I guess I should get over there. They do love a captive audience," she informed him wryly.

"Yes, I'm sure they do. It was nice running into you, Dr. Davis."

"Please, call me Ami," she insisted.

"And you can call me Myles," he said in return, smiling at her.

"Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime, Myles," Ami said.

"That would be nice," Myles replied. They looked at each other for a moment, and then she chuckled softly and gave Levi another rub.

"Good to meet you, Levi." With a wave at Myles and a flip of her long hair, she headed toward the playground. Levi looked up at Myles and let out a soft whine.

"I agree," Myles told him. "I'm a fool. The woman gave me a perfectly good opportunity to ask her out, and I let it pass me by." Levi whined again, and Myles debated whether or not to go after her. She'd reached the playground and was talking animatedly with her girlfriend. Myles decided that he might look like an even bigger fool if he ran after her, so he reluctantly led Levi in the other direction, back to the Hoover Building.

When Myles and Levi returned to the bullpen, he could tell right away that Sue had been crying. Her eyes were puffy, her face slightly blotchy. She was at her desk, staring at her computer screen, but she looked to be a million miles away. Levi ran over to her and put a paw in her lap. Sue looked up and smiled at Myles as she greeted Levi.

_Thank you M-Y-L-E-S_, she signed.

_Welcome_, he signed back. "Are you all right, Sue?" he asked her gently.

"I will be," she replied firmly. "It's just been a rough couple of days."

Myles nodded. "Well, if you ever need an ear, I'd be happy to listen."

"That means a lot. Thank you." Sue smiled at him, but Myles got the feeling that she probably wouldn't be taking him up on his offer. Lately she'd seemed to be waging a private battle, in addition to whatever was now going on with her and Jack. The former had been going on for awhile, but he hadn't questioned her, feeling it was none of his business. Working so closely with her during the past few months, he had noticed it nonetheless. There was something different about her lately, a hint of sadness in her demeanor that hadn't been there before. If he hadn't witnessed her light up every time Jack had walked into the room, he might have thought that it had to do with their burgeoning relationship. But up until today, there hadn't appeared to be any problems between the two of them. Whatever had been bothering her had nothing to do with her relationship with Jack---Myles was almost sure of it.

Chapter 6

Dimitrius and Bobby spent all day going in and out of pawnshops. They'd actually managed to find some of the stolen goods from the robberies, and they had also gotten descriptions of the people who had pawned the items. The merchandise was already on its way to the lab to be analyzed for fibers and fingerprints, and police sketch artists were going to talk to the pawnshop owners so that they could try and get a better idea of what the suspects looked like. However, some major items were still unaccounted for, so as a last-ditch attempt, D and Bobby ventured into one of the seedier areas of town. It didn't take long for them to find who they were looking for.

"Whatever you're looking for, Howie 'fines' it for ya. Get it? I came up with that one all on my own. Pretty original tagline, don't you think?" D rolled his eyes, and Bobby grinned as they watched Howie Fines, one of their snitches, trying to peddle wares from the trunk of his car. A disinterested young couple was walking away from him, but he wasn't giving up very easily. He suddenly spotted the two agents and threw his hands up in the air. "D, Bobby! If it isn't two of my favorite people! What can I do for you? You got some undercover work for me? Or are you looking for something to buy? Like a wallet maybe? I've got a nice genuine leather one right here for you." Howie pulled the wallet out of his trunk and thrust it into Bobby's hands. Bobby shook his head at Howie, and D chuckled.

"Take a breath, man!" Bobby told him. "We're here on FBI business," he confirmed, passing the wallet back to Howie.

"Is it undercover?" Howie asked eagerly.

"Not this time, Howie. We are looking for some stolen items, and we're wondering if you've seen any of them," D said, glowering slightly as he spoke.

Howie backed away a little, putting his hands up in front of him, palms facing out. "I don't know anything about any stolen goods. I'm legit now; you know that. All the stuff I have is bought and paid for out of my own pocket. I don't---"

"Howie! We're not accusing you of anything. We just need you to keep your eyes and ears open, and let us know if you come across any of the items on this list. Some of them are very unique, so there shouldn't be any mistaking them." Bobby pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Howie, who looked it over and shook his head.

"I haven't seen any of this stuff. So, what's this all about? Oh, wait, you can't answer that right? It's classified information, huh?" Howie asked excitedly.

D closed his eyes in frustration. "Howie, you're too much," he said. "Just let us know if you see anything. Call us and we'll come to wherever you are, okay?" Howie nodded and took the card that D passed to him.

"You guys know I help whenever I can. Anything you need, Howie---"

"We know, Howie," D interrupted, "and we appreciate any help you can give us."

"Hey, no problem. Oh and say hi to Sue for me, will you?" Howie asked. "It's been awhile since she's come around," he added.

"Will do," Bobby told him. The two of them could hear Howie accosting his next potential customer as they walked away.

"That guy is exhausting," D commented. "I thought my daughter and her friends talked a lot, but Howie could definitely give them a run for their money."

Bobby chuckled. "Yeah, he's a piece of work, that one. I doubt that Tanya could hold a candle to him in the chatterbox department. He talks so fast that he makes me dizzy."

"Sue must get a headache just trying to follow once he gets going," D added.

"I don't know how she does it," Bobby agreed.

Myles sat at his desk, staring at the report in front of him. Try as he might, he couldn't concentrate on it. All he could think about was his run-in with Ami Davis that afternoon, and how women like her didn't come along everyday. She was intelligent, charming, and certainly easy on the eyes. He was undeniably drawn to her, and she had given him the distinct impression that she might be interested in him as well. But for reasons he could not fathom, he hadn't taken advantage of the opening she'd given him. Myles shook his head, still feeling irritated by his lack of initiative that afternoon. She had opened a door, and he had just stood there like a complete imbecile. _It's not as if my dance card is full by any means_, Myles thought sullenly. His pity party was interrupted by the sound of a throat being cleared. He looked up to see Tara standing beside his desk, an amused expression on her face.

"Myles? Is everything okay?" she asked him.

"Fine. Why do you ask?" Myles replied.

"You were…muttering under your breath. You sure you're okay?" Tara asked again.

"Just fine. What is it, Tara?" he questioned a little impatiently.

"I was just about to grab dinner, and I was wondering if you'd like to join me, since you don't appear to be going home anytime soon," she commented, seemingly unaffected by the irritation in his voice.

Myles' eyes widened, and he looked at his watch. Suddenly he shot up from his desk in a panic. He couldn't believe how long he'd been sitting there daydreaming about a woman who was hardly more than a stranger. "I didn't realize how late it was! I have to get going," he told her. "I'm sorry, but I can't have dinner with you tonight," he added.

"What, have you got a date or something?" Tara asked incredulously. She grinned as he narrowed his eyes at her remark.

"Stranger things have happened," Myles informed her. "But no, it's not a date. I'm doing some volunteer work tonight."

"Really? That's great, Myles!" Tara exclaimed. "Where are you volunteering? At the soup kitchen where we went undercover?" Myles grinned, remembering how she'd looked posing as his _very_ pregnant sister. They'd met quite a few underprivileged families that day, and both had been genuinely touched by the experience. They had discussed that evening several times since it had happened, and Myles had confided that he wouldn't mind doing some real volunteering someday. It had really hit home that night how good he'd had it while growing up. Not everyone was so lucky.

"No, actually I'm volunteering to help out with a youth group at my church," he replied.

"You're just full of surprises, Myles Leland," Tara told him, sounding genuinely impressed. "I'd love to hear about it sometime."

"This is my first night; I'll tell you all about it tomorrow," Myles said hurriedly. "But now I must go, or I'm going to be late."

Tara looked on in amusement as he hurried past her. "Will wonders never cease?" she questioned softly to no one in particular. She was happy for him; he'd wanted to somehow 'get involved' in his community for a while now, and it was good to see him actually doing it. She also had no doubt that the presence of a real-life FBI agent at the youth group would likely be the highlight of the evening for some of the kids.

Chapter 7

The week had gone by quickly; the team was kept very busy with the investigation into the arson fires, as well as several smaller cases that had come their way. There had been a few leads on the arson case, but not the break they'd been hoping for. They were pretty sure that there were at least two suspects involved, judging by the statements given by the pawnshop owners. Unfortunately, the composite drawings created by the sketch-artists hadn't given them anything new to work with. It seemed very likely that these were first-time offenders with no prior criminal record.

Things between Jack and Sue remained strained, and Jack wished that they could just talk about it and get things out into the open. Every time he looked at her, he found her looking as unhappy as he felt. It didn't make sense to stay apart when it was obvious how miserable they both were. But she had said she wanted a break, so he was going to let her have one. He was determined to let her come to him when she was ready.

By Friday afternoon Jack was exhausted, and it looked as though he, at least, would be working most of the weekend, as well. It wasn't like he had any other plans besides sitting at home thinking about her. Working would be a relief, especially since, as far as he knew, Sue had no plans to come in on the weekend. He was just about to leave for the day when Garrett walked into the bullpen and asked Jack to come into his office. Jack wondered what it was about and hoped that it had nothing to do with him and Sue. He was fairly confident that they had been acting in a perfectly professional manner all week, and hopefully Garrett didn't disagree.

"Hudson, I just wanted to confirm that as of Monday we are going to be down a body until further notice," Garrett told him, as Jack sat down in the chair across from him.

Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really? Is someone going on assignment?"

"No, someone has requested a leave of absence," Garrett informed him.

"Who?" Jack asked, a knot forming in the pit of his stomach as he strongly suspected what Garrett's answer would be.

"I'm sorry. I assumed that you already knew," Garrett said.

Jack shook his head. "I'm in the dark this time, sir."

"Sue Thomas applied for a leave of absence, effective Monday, for an indefinite period of time," Garrett supplied.

Garrett's answer shook Jack to the core. _What on earth was going on with her?_ "Indefinite period of time?" Jack repeated. "Why is she leaving?" he asked, but he knew in an instant that Garrett wouldn't give him the answers he was after.

"I know very few details, but I should really let her fill you in," Garrett replied firmly.

"I'm sorry; this has just come as a bit of a shock," Jack mumbled.

"I can see that. Hopefully Thomas will be back soon, but until that happens, we'll just have to manage without her."

"Of course," Jack assured him. "We'll be fine. Anything else, sir?" he asked, eager to escape the confines of the office and try to make some sense of the news he'd just received.

"No, that'll be all," Garrett answered. Jack thanked him and quickly left the office. Relieved that there was no one else in the bullpen, he walked over to his desk and sank down into his chair. Putting his head in his hands, his mind raced with possibilities as to why Sue might want to take time off, and none of them were good.

Over the past week, their relationship had been on Jack's mind almost constantly, and he still had no idea why Sue had suddenly wanted to take a break. He had been so happy since they had finally admitted their feelings and started seeing each other as a couple---almost deliriously so. Part of him wondered if that was the reason. Maybe he had frightened her off by coming on too strong? But that didn't make sense. Sue had returned his love with equal passion.

Although it was hard to admit to himself, he also couldn't help but wonder if the fact that he was hearing and she was deaf might have something to do with this. During the time they'd been dating, Sue had become frustrated with him on a number of occasions. From time to time he still made mistakes, such as the instances when he had forgotten to make sure she was looking at him before he began to speak, or when he had used idioms that confused her. At this point in their relationship, Jack felt that he shouldn't have to be reminded of that kind of thing; it made him angry with himself that he still needed those reminders. Therefore, he couldn't blame Sue for her frustrations---Jack was often frustrated with himself, as well. He had always apologized, but he realized that he really needed to make an effort to be more conscious of what she had to deal with on a daily basis.

She had also asked him if he would consider becoming more fluent in ASL and if he would like to go with her to a deaf event sometime. Jack had told her that he would definitely like to do both those things, but he'd kept putting them off, citing work or other excuses...maybe because they were both out of his comfort zone. He felt so guilty about that now and promised himself that when he got her back, he would take whatever steps were necessary to make those things happen. In fact, it wouldn't hurt for him to start making them happen now, even while they were apart.

Another thought had crossed his mind, but it was one that scared him so much, he brushed it aside immediately. If she were sick, if something was seriously wrong, she would have told him. Then again, with everything that had happened, he couldn't be certain of anything anymore. While they'd been dating, they'd had many long talks that had lasted well into the night; he'd felt like he knew her better than anyone, and that they could tell each other anything and everything. At least, that's what he'd believed up until now. Now it was obvious that Sue was hiding something, and it was looking like she had been for some time.

Whatever her reason for breaking things off, Jack was convinced that it was somehow his fault. Suddenly, he knew what he had to do and decided that there was no point in putting it off. Grabbing his jacket, he hurriedly left the bullpen.

Jack was waiting outside the apartment door when Lucy came around the corner, accompanied by Levi. She looked at him in surprise. "Jack! What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for Sue," he replied evenly. "I figure that she'll have to come home eventually, and I'll be here waiting when she does. Where is she? Why do you have Levi?" His heart felt heavy as it suddenly occurred to him that maybe she was out on a date, and he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of the possibility before.

"She's out," Lucy answered.

"Well, I can see that. Look, I really need to talk to her. Do you know when she'll be back?" he asked persistently.

"No," Lucy said, not quite meeting his eyes.

Jack could see that Lucy wasn't prepared to give anything away. He wasn't about to back down, though. "Please, Lucy. I need to know why she's taking a leave of absence; I need to know that she's okay," he pleaded.

Lucy looked at him sharply. "How did you find out about that?"

"Garrett told me before I left today," Jack explained. "I guess he figured that I should know we'll be short a team member starting Monday. He also seemed to think that I already knew about it. So, does everyone know except me? Am I the last to find out?" He was frustrated now and did nothing to hide it.

"No. As far as I know, I'm the only one she's told," Lucy answered carefully.

"So what's going on with her? Is she doing this to avoid me?" he asked, desperate for information.

"You know what, Jackson? Not everything is about you!" Lucy snapped, then looked at him apologetically, rubbing her forehead. "I'm sorry. I know you're worried, but I just can't deal with this right now."

"What do you mean, right now? Please tell me what's going on," Jack pleaded once again. Lucy sighed and eyed him wearily before unlocking the door, motioning him inside.

Chapter 8

"Where is she, Luce?" Jack asked again, once the two were seated in the living room.

"Jack, I promised Sue that I wouldn't tell anyone, including you. I can't break that promise." She looked very torn, and Jack knew that he was going to have to push her hard in order to get anything out of her.

"I'm worried sick about her. I can't go on like this, not knowing what's wrong," Jack told her.

"I wish I could tell you. I even tried to get Sue to confide in you, but she's bent on handling this herself. You know her, she's stubborn and insists on taking the weight of the world on her shoulders. I think the only reason I know anything is because I'm her roommate, and there's no way I could have _not_ known that something was going on," Lucy told him. If she was trying to hide her worry from him, she wasn't succeeding. Jack unease grew as he continued to imagine all of the possible scenarios that might explain what was going on.

"You haven't exactly eased my worries yet, Luce," he said, his voice edged with tension.

"I know; I'm sorry," she said, sounding genuinely apologetic. "This has to be eating you up inside, but Sue needs to deal with this in her own way and in her own time."

"Will you at least tell me where she is? She doesn't have to know that it came from you. I can pretend that I just happened to run into her. I'm begging you." Jack's eyes pleaded with her to understand how he felt, and she sighed.

"There's no way she'd believe that, Jack," Lucy said hesitantly.

"Why not?" Jack asked, almost dreading her answer.

Lucy took a deep breath before she answered. "Because she's in the hospital."

Jack paled, and fear seized him. "What?" He took a deep breath, fighting to stay calm.

"I can't tell you any more than that. I know you love her, Jack, and she's hurting right now. And even though she refuses to admit it, she needs you. Please just go and be with her," Lucy said tearfully.

"I will," Jack promised, reaching over to gently squeeze Lucy's hand in reassurance.

"She doesn't want to worry anyone or be a burden. She wouldn't even let me stay with her; she insisted I bring Levi home where we'd both be more comfortable," Lucy said ruefully."

Jack jumped up and gave Lucy a hug. "I owe you, Luce," he said gratefully.

"Just make her happy, Jack."

"That's all I want," Jack said firmly. Lucy smiled softly at him, her eyes shining with tears. "If she'll let me," he added. Lucy nodded in understanding, and then told Jack exactly where to find Sue, wishing him good luck. Jack hugged her one last time and rushed from the apartment, the fear he was feeling growing by the second.

Getting to the hospital seemed to take an eternity. Jack thought about stopping on the way to pick up some flowers for her, but in the end he decided that all he wanted was to get to her as soon as possible. The flowers would have to wait. He ached to see her, to know that she was okay. Of course, he hit every red light along the way, and when he finally reached the hospital he ended up having to park at the far end of the parking lot. After jogging into the building, Jack impatiently waited for the elevator. He punched the button several times, as if that would somehow make it arrive more quickly, and then waited impatiently for the elevator's occupants to exit before he dashed inside. Ironically, when Jack finally reached the door to her room, he found that he couldn't go in right away. He stood there frozen, suddenly having no idea what he was going to say to her. Finally, taking a deep breath, he walked into the room.

Sue was sitting up in bed, reading a book and didn't see him at first. As he walked toward her, the movement caught her eye, and she looked up at him. She looked surprised to see him, and for a moment Jack thought he saw a small hint of happiness at his presence. The look was quickly replaced by one of sadness. Turning to look out the window, she softly asked him to leave. Jack walked over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it, but she still didn't turn from the window. He took her hand in one of his, and with his other he gently grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Please tell me what's happening. I need to know," he told her.

Sue looked at him with tired, tear-filled eyes. "How did you find out I was here?" she asked him, dodging his question. "I suppose Lucy told you."

_None of it matters_, Jack signed. "I know you've requested a leave of absence from the bureau. Now you're in the hospital? Please tell me that you're okay." Sue stared into his eyes, and Jack got the distinct impression that she was going to keep trying to push him away. "Whatever it is, we'll face it together," he assured her.

"I'm here because I'm scheduled for surgery early tomorrow morning," Sue answered softly. "It's kind of sudden, but the doctor thinks it's my best option."

Jack paled considerably and was glad he was sitting, because he was sure his legs would have given out had he been standing up. "What is it? Is it…" his voice trailed off, unable to verbalize the horrible thought that had just occurred to him.

"I'm okay, Jack," Sue assured him gently. "It's not life-threatening, at least."

Relief washed over him, but many questions still remained. "Thank God," he said, managing a small smile. "Lucy wouldn't tell me anything, aside from where you were, so I really didn't know a thing coming in here. I guess I just couldn't help but assume the worst, what with the way you've been acting lately." Jack was prepared to be fully honest with her, and he hoped that she would do the same for him.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't mean to hurt you," Sue said softly.

"You didn't think that breaking up with me was going to hurt me? I've been miserable. What could be worse than this?"

"Many things," Sue replied, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked gently, genuinely mystified and still very worried about her.

Chapter 9

"Well, I haven't been feeling very well for a while now," Sue began. Jack nodded; he knew it was the truth. "At first, I thought it was just normal monthly pains. I've always had _some_ pain, but lately it's been much worse. It's also been happening more often than it used to," she said, biting her lip as she looked at him hesitantly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked her. "I may be a guy, but I can still be sympathetic."

She gave him a slightly embarrassed smile. "Somehow I didn't think you'd want to hear about that kind of thing," she admitted. "I know my brothers wouldn't have wanted to."

"Of course I do. If you're in pain, you don't have to be afraid to be honest with me," Jack assured her.

"At the time, I didn't think it was anything worth bothering you about," Sue insisted. "Finally, I decided to go to the doctor, and they found out that there was a problem. I have something called…" Sue hesitated for a moment, then held up her hand and fingerspelled, _E-N-D-O-M-E-T-R-I-O-S-I-S._

"Endometriosis?" Jack asked, his brow wrinkling.

Sue nodded. "Yes. It's a bit of a mouthful," she said with a sad smile.

"I'm sure I've heard of it, but what exactly is it?" Jack asked her.

"It's kind of hard to explain," Sue began. "I'll do the best I can." Jack nodded and waited patiently for her to continue, gripping her hands in his. "Basically what it means is that some of the tissue that lines my uterus has grown outside of it instead, on other organs." She looked at him hesitantly and took a shaky breath before she continued. "I have scar tissue on my ovaries, and it looks like there's already been some damage that can't be reversed," she explained, her eyes brimming with tears. "They won't really know how much damage there is until the surgery tomorrow, when they remove the growths. Unfortunately, there's no cure for this, and it will definitely affect my chances of ever having a baby," she said, the tears she had been trying not to shed finally trickled down her cheeks as she broke eye contact with him.

_So this is it,_ Jack thought. _This is why she pushed me away._ He brushed a hand against her cheek, and her eyes rose to meet his again. "Do you honestly think that I wouldn't want to be with you just because you may not be able to have children?" Jack asked her, gently wiping away her tears.

"I couldn't put you through this; it wouldn't have been fair. This is _my_ burden, Jack, not yours," Sue said, fresh tears replacing the ones Jack had just dried. He could see that she was obviously fighting hard not to lose control.

"So you'd rather face this alone? Do you really think that's what I would want for you?" Jack asked her. He felt hurt that she had shut him out of this decision, even a little betrayed. "After everything we've been through together, I would have hoped that you knew me better than that. Not to mention all of the conversations we had while we were undercover," he reminded her.

"Pretending that you can't have children and possibly not being able to have them are two different things, Jack. I didn't know _how_ you'd react. It's real this time," Sue told him emphatically.

"So you figured that if you pushed me away I would eventually move on? Find someone else--someone who'd be able to have my children?" he asked in disbelief.

"I guess so," Sue said uncertainly. "I really didn't know what I was going to do, and then your proposal caught me off guard. When you proposed, I suddenly realized how unfair it would have been for me to say yes. You didn't have all the information when you made that decision." Jack wanted to shake her. _How could she think this way?_ "I didn't want you to feel obligated to be with me," she explained softly.

"What's unfair is that you made this decision _for_ me." Sue stared at him in surprise. "Whether or not you can have children doesn't change the way I feel about you," he declared. "I think I've made my feelings pretty clear—I can't believe that you didn't trust me enough to come to me with this." The thought that she had shut him out of something so important caused anger to boil up inside him, and he fought to keep control.

"I do trust you," Sue said in a small voice, her lower lip trembling. "I was trying to protect you."

"Sue, I love you, and you have to know that you don't need to face things like this on your own. That's what being in a relationship is all about," Jack told her.

"I guess I have a lot to learn, then," Sue said softly. "The truth is, I'd never really dreamed about getting married or having a family--until you," she admitted. "When I realized I was in love with you, I started to want things I'd never even thought about before. When I found out that I might never…" her voice faltered, and she started to cry softly. _I didn't know what else to do, Jack,_" she signed. The feelings of anger and betrayal evaporated as he saw the look on her face and listened to her soft sobs. Seeing her like this broke his heart; he put his arms around her, holding her close.

Jack stroked her hair and softly kissed her forehead until she calmed down. When her sobs finally subsided, Sue gazed up at him, looking more content than he'd seen her in ages. "Do you know how relieved I am to know what's going on?" he asked softly before pressing another kiss to her forehead. "I was so afraid that I was going to lose you for good. Everything is starting to make sense now: how tired you've been, how sad, and all those times when you just haven't been feeling well." Jack held her closer in his arms and silently said a prayer of thanks that she had finally told him what was wrong.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," Sue apologized, her voice shaking slightly. "I've been taking a medication that is supposed to help slow down the disease, as well as one for the pain," she told him. "That's partly why I've been so exhausted…it's a side effect of the medication, and the doctors are still trying to get the dosage right so that it doesn't make me as tired. I didn't mean to make you worry so much."

"I'm not upset with you, Sue," he reassured her, hoping he could make her believe him. "I just wish I could have been here all along to support you so you didn't have to go through this by yourself. I wish you had trusted me enough," he finished quietly.

"I know I made a mistake when I left you out of this, Jack," Sue said sadly. "It's not that I didn't trust you, it's just that…"

"It's okay," Jack insisted. "We're still building our relationship right now, and fully trusting someone takes time. We'll get there, though, I'm sure of it," he said confidently. Sue nodded, looking thoughtful. "The important thing is that I know what's going on now, and _you_ know that I'm here for you. We'll find a way to work through this." He squeezed her hand, and she smiled softly at him. "It's good to see you smile; I've missed that smile lately." He put his hand on the back of her head, running his fingers through her hair as she inched closer to him. Their lips connected, and all of his worries fell away for a moment as he felt her respond to him.

In moments like this he could see everything with such crystal clarity. He loved her; she loved him back, and nothing else really mattered as her tongue danced with his. When Sue pulled away, she looked up at him happily, her love for him shining in her eyes. Obviously dealing with her illness was taking its toll, but it appeared that keeping the secret had been putting an even bigger strain on her. It did his heart good to see her happy again.

Chapter 10

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Sue asked him softly.

"Of course," Jack replied without hesitation. "What time is your surgery in the morning?"

"It's at seven," Sue told him. "But they'll be waking me earlier to get me prepped. I'm not sure what time, exactly."

"Well, I'll be here when they do. I'll also be waiting for you when you get out," he assured her, squeezing her hand. "Do you know when you'll be able to go home?"

"Probably Sunday at the earliest, but I won't be able to work for at least three weeks," she replied regretfully. "Normally they don't have to do such an invasive surgery, but this is an odd case," she explained. "It's going to take a bit of time to recover."

"It's okay, just take as long as you need," Jack told her. "Everyone will understand."

_Thank you,_ Sue signed, then stifled a yawn. Jack smiled affectionately at her, bringing one of her hands to his lips.

"You should get some rest," he suggested. "You've got a big day ahead of you."

Sue nodded. "You're right. I haven't been sleeping very well lately, either. I have a feeling that's about to change though," she said with that shy smile Jack loved to see.

"I hope so," Jack told her. "I know I'll sleep better tonight, even though I'll be spending the night in a chair," he said good-naturedly.

"No, you won't, Jack," she said with a soft smile.

"I won't what?" he asked, confused.

"I want you to sleep here, with me," she replied, pulling back the covers and sliding over to make room for him on the bed. Jack gave her a surprised grin, but made no move to come closer. "Please?" she implored him.

His grin widened as he heard her plea. "It's not every day I have a beautiful woman inviting me into her bed," he teased. "You don't have to ask me twice." Jack slipped off his shoes and coat and joined her in the bed. They faced each other for a moment, both lying on their sides. Unable to resist temptation, he put a hand on her back and pulled her body against his. The fact that they were lying in a hospital bed did nothing to quell the passion Jack felt as they kissed.

"I guess it's a good thing I managed to get a private room," Sue joked breathlessly when they finally parted. "I wonder what the nurse would say if she walked in right now?" she mused.

"Hopefully she'd turn around and leave the room," Jack replied with a wink, then eyed her with intensity. "I've missed you, Sue."

"I've missed you, too," she said softly, the seriousness returning to her voice. "Thank you for staying with me. I'm glad you came, even though I didn't make things easy for you."

"No thanks necessary. I'm right where I want to be," Jack assured her. She bit her lower lip, smiling at him for a moment before her hand went to the nape of his neck, pulling him in for another tender kiss. They kissed slowly and softly for a little while longer, then simply held each other. Jack slowly ran his fingers through her hair and listened to her breathing deepen as she drifted off to sleep. The feel of her warm body against his and the sound of her breathing quickly lulled him into a slumber of his own.

A momentary pang of concern was felt by one of the intruders upon seeing an SUV parked in the driveway. The worry subsided after a moment, pushed away by the knowledge that this house had been watched closely by one of the others. There wouldn't be any mistakes--not like the last time. All they wanted was money and a rush of adrenaline; they hadn't meant for anyone to die.

Access was easily gained through a ground floor window, and the two darkly clad figures soundlessly entered the house. The large sacks they carried were filled with valuables in a matter of minutes. One of them made a trail of gasoline, and the second lit the match, dropping it before quickly fleeing from the burst of flames. The familiar thrill was suddenly ripped away when a single shrill, heart-stopping voice echoed from somewhere upstairs. "Mama!" The two looked at each other in shock and continued to make their escape.

Jack had indeed slept better with Sue back in his arms; that much had been a sweet relief. He had slept like a rock, but when Sue had begun to get restless in the very early hours of the morning, Jack had woken to see her anxious, tear-stained face looking up at him. Rather than try to get more sleep before they came to prep her for surgery, they had just held each other and talked. Jack was pretty sure he'd helped ease her anxieties just a little, but he still ached for her, knowing what she had to face. While the results of her surgery were still uncertain, Jack was sure that their relationship was going to emerge from this even stronger than before. Even if he and Sue could never have children of their own, he had no doubt that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He planned on doing everything he could to prove it to her and help rid her of any lingering reservations that she might have.

The sound of his pager going off pulled Jack out of his thoughts, and his brow furrowed into a frown as he saw Garrett's number. He had already made arrangements for D to cover for him so that he wouldn't have to go in to work as planned. Jack quickly found a payphone and dialed the number. Garrett picked up on the first ring.

"Jack, thanks for calling back so quickly."

"No problem. What's happening?" Jack asked him.

"We've just received word of another fire. It fits the same pattern as the others," was Garrett's somber reply.

"Any casualties?" Jack asked quietly, closing his eyes as he envisioned the victims of the last fire.

"Not this time," Garrett answered, and Jack breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "A family of four just narrowly escaped being burnt alive, though. It appears the arsonists are getting sloppy. An anonymous 911 call gave the fire department just enough time to get them all out. There are also a few leads for us to follow up on."

"Well, that's good news," Jack said hopefully. He took a deep breath, knowing what he had to do next. "Garrett, I know that I'm lead agent on this case, but I'd like your permission to take on a lesser role in this investigation effective immediately. Sue is due to come out of surgery pretty soon, and I'd like to be here with her when she does." Jack waited for Garrett's answer with baited breath for what seemed like an eternity. He was worried for a moment that his supervisor may not approve.

"I understand these are special circumstances. If Sue weren't a co-worker, I wouldn't even question it, so I'm not going to in this case either," Garrett told him kindly. "I'll assign someone else to lead this investigation, although I'd still like you back on the case as soon as you're able," he added.

"Of course," Jack assured him. "And thank you, sir."

"Just keep us posted," Garrett replied.

"I'll do that," Jack told him.

After they'd hung up, Jack felt strangely satisfied. It felt unbelievably good, and so right, putting Sue first. For the first time in ages that he'd given his personal life precedence over his work. He was actually surprised at how easy it had been, handing over the reigns in a very high-profile investigation. It was the right decision, though; being there for Sue was his number one priority right now.

Chapter 11

"You with me, Myles?" At the sound of her voice, Myles glanced at Tara, who was staring at him curiously from the passenger seat of his car.

"Pardon?" he asked, puzzled.

"It's just that I was talking to you, and I don't think you heard a word of it," she relied.

"I'm sorry, Tara," Myles apologized. "I guess I just can't stop thinking about how every single promising lead we had today hit a dead end."

"Things did begin to look up when we got the partial plate number from that witness," Tara said.

"Until we found out it was stolen," Myles countered. "And then of course, finding the vehicle abandoned only blocks from the fire didn't help matters."

"Hopefully we'll get a break soon," Tara replied. "In the meantime, do you have any idea why Sue had to go in for surgery?" she asked.

Myles looked at her in surprise, caught off guard by the directness of her question. "Actually, I don't," he replied curtly. "And I'm sure if she wanted us to know, she would have told us."

"I'm just worried about her, Myles," Tara insisted defensively. "I hope she's okay," she added quietly.

"I'm sorry, it's just been a long day," Myles apologized with a sigh. "I'm worried about her, too."

"I know you are. We all are. I really hope she's up for visitors," Tara murmured. The two of them were on their way to the hospital, with Lucy, Levi, Bobby and Dimitrius right behind them. The team had been working on the case round the clock; this was a welcome break for all of them.

"Well, Jack checked with her, and she did say that it would be okay if we all stopped by," Myles reminded her. "We'll just be careful not to overstay our welcome; she's probably very tired."

"You're right, and she's too nice to ask us to leave," Tara commented.

"I'm sure Jack will kick us out if we stay too long," Myles said wryly, and Tara nodded, knowing he would do just that.

Myles and Tara met up with the rest of the team in the parking lot, and the six of them walked in together. Levi was wagging his tail furiously, obviously well aware of where they were headed. They were nearly at the elevators when something caught Myles' eye, causing his heart to do a flip-flop. Although she had her back to him, there was a woman standing at the elevator who instantly reminded him of Ami Davis. She was the same height, and her hair fell down her back in the same dark waves. Myles shook his head---nearly a week later and he still couldn't get her out of his mind. He'd considered looking up her number, knowing it wouldn't be difficult to find a doctor with a private practice, but he had yet to work up the nerve. The woman glanced over her shoulder as the group walked up behind her, and to Myles' surprise and pleasure, it _was_ Ami Davis.

"Myles, hi!" Ami greeted him warmly.

"Hello, Ami," Myles replied with equal warmth, as well as a dash of surprise. "I wasn't expecting to run into you here, of all places." Ami grinned at him, and Myles felt his face color. "Then again, you _are_ a doctor, so it makes sense that you might be in a hospital," he added hastily.

Levi had made his way over to Ami and jumped up, putting his paws on her legs in greeting. "Hey, Levi," she said to the dog, gently pushing him down before rubbing his golden mane. "How nice to see you again, too." Myles' co-workers were looking on with interest, and he knew that he should probably introduce the group.

After the introductions, there was a slightly awkward pause, broken by the sound of the elevator doors opening. "We should probably get going," Bobby said to the others, then turned to Myles with a twinkle in his eye. "Meet you up there, mate?" Myles nodded, and his four co-workers stepped into the elevator, Levi in tow. The doors closed behind them before he could respond.

"I guess they were in a hurry," Ami observed with a grin.

"Something like that," Myles replied.

Sue sipped ginger ale from a straw as Jack watched her with concern. "How does your stomach feel? Do you think the soup is going to stay down?" he asked her anxiously.

Her eyes were unsure as they met his. "Hard to say. But I feel okay right now," she told him. "I'm getting pretty tired, though. I kind of wish I hadn't agree to see everyone tonight," she confessed.

"I'm sure they won't stay long," Jack assured her. "They're all just worried about you, like I have been."

"Well, I appreciate that," Sue said softly. "I was prepared to go through this alone, but I have to admit that I'm glad I don't have to," she added, her eyes filling with tears.

"You're definitely not alone," Jack said firmly, taking her hand. "If I could make this any easier for you, I would."

"You do make it easier, Jack," Sue insisted gently. "You share your strength with me, and that's what I need right now."

Jack gazed at her, knowing how strong she really was, but he doubted that she got that from him. It seemed more like the other way around. "Funny you should say that, because I don't feel very strong right now," he admitted over the lump in his throat. Jack felt the emotion overwhelm him as he looked at her, lying in her hospital bed. She was already very sore from the surgery, and to make matters worse, she'd been plagued by nausea almost from the moment she'd woken up from the anesthesia. He'd give anything to take it all away.

"But you _are_ strong," Sue insisted. "Some men would have just walked away, but you're so determined that you fought your way in and wouldn't take no for an answer."

"It's not determination," Jack said softly, leaning forward to gently kiss her on the lips. "It's a heck of a lot more powerful than determination," he told her, after pulling away slightly so that she could read his lips.

Her eyes overflowing with tears, Sue closed them for a moment before speaking. "I'm sorry; my emotions are just so raw right now," she said, but she was smiling through her tears.

"Don't apologize for that," Jack told her. "You don't ever have to hide your feelings from me, okay?" Sue nodded and put a soft hand on his cheek. "I love you, and that isn't going to change."

"I love you, too," she said, moving her hand from his cheek to the back of his neck and pulling him toward her again. The look he saw in her eyes in the moment before they kissed caused any doubts Jack felt over their future together to vanish. He knew they would somehow find a way to work past this.

Chapter 12

"A friend and co-worker of ours had surgery this morning; we thought we'd come and give her some moral support," Myles explained to the pretty doctor standing beside him.

"I hope she's okay," Ami said, a touch of concern in her voice.

"I think she will be; it'll just take some time," Myles replied.

"I'm also here to visit some friends," Ami said softly. "Actually, I'm sure you've heard their names; they're the family whose home was burned last night."

Myles raised an eyebrow. "The Jenson's?" Ami nodded. "How are they doing?"

"Pretty good, considering they no longer have a home. The main thing is that they all made it out alive, thank God; they're a strong family. Anna and I have been friends for years, and both of her children have been patients of mine since birth. They're just great people," she said, shaking her head at the injustice of it all.

"They were very lucky," Myles agreed. "I just wish that we had been able to prevent this from happening to another family." His mind's eye pictured the photograph of the young family that was still taped to the board in the bullpen, and he said a silent prayer of thanks that at least this latest fire hadn't claimed any lives.

"You can't save the world, Myles," Ami said gently. She fixed her hazel eyes on his, and for a moment Myles was lost.

"I can't disagree with you there," he said with a chuckle. "As much as I wish that we could, I know that isn't possible. However, it _is_ my job to protect the innocent, and I take that very seriously."

"That's good to know," Ami told him with a soft smile.

It occurred to Myles that he may have sounded arrogant, and he fervently hoped that he wasn't making a fool of himself in front of this woman. "Well, we're going to do our best to find whoever is behind these fires," he assured her.

"I hope it happens soon," Ami said in a quiet voice.

"So do I." They looked at each other in silence as Myles tried to find the words to express what was on his mind.

Lucy reached Sue's room first and smiled softly as she glanced through the small window on the door. Jack was sitting in a chair next to the bed, covering her hands with one of his while he stroked her hair with the other. Her cheeks were moist with tears, but she was smiling at him as he spoke to her. Lucy watched as the two shared a tender kiss. While she was still worried about Sue, it was so good to see her friends back together. Suddenly, Lucy felt guilty, knowing they had no idea that they were being observed.

"What is it?" Tara asked her, curious as to why Lucy wasn't moving to open the door.

Lucy was beaming as she turned away from the window. "Well, they're kind of in the middle of something," she said softly. "Maybe we should come back later; I'd feel like we were intruding if we went in there now."

"I take it they've kissed and made up?" Bobby asked cheerfully.

"You could say that," Lucy replied with a wide smile.

"Let's give them a few minutes, then," D suggested. "We'll let them have a bit more privacy before we barge in on them," he said with a wink.

"Why don't we go down to the gift shop and pick out something for her?" Tara said. "Maybe a nice vase to put those flowers in," she added, nodding at the large bouquet Bobby was carrying. The rest of them agreed, and they headed back toward the elevator, leaving the couple inside completely unaware that their friends had even been there in the first place. The only one who protested was Levi, pulling against the leash as Dimitrius led him away from the room.

"Come on, Levi," Lucy called him. "We'll go back there in a minute." D gently pulled on his leash, and the dog finally relented, his tail thumping limply as they entered the elevator.

"Well, I guess I should get going, too," Ami said, and Myles mentally kicked himself for not speaking up when he'd had the chance. "It was nice running into you yet again Myles," she added with a smile.

_It's now or never, Leland,_ Myles told himself. "It was great to see you again, too." He cleared his throat, hesitating before he spoke again, and Ami looked at him expectantly. "Look, this may not be the time or place, but I was wondering if you might like to have a cup of coffee with me sometime?" He watched her hesitantly, hoping that she wouldn't turn him down. For all the confidence Myles exuded; the world of dating was not one he was comfortable with.

"I'd like that," Ami said with smile. Myles grinned back at her, relief washing over him. "Let me give you my number." She reached into her purse, pulling out a business card and a pen. After jotting something on the back she handed it to him. "You can try and reach me at my office, but I also wrote my home number on the back," she explained.

Myles accepted her card with a smile. "Right now things are pretty hectic, what with the arson case and all, but I'll call you soon," he promised.

"I'll look forward to it," Ami replied, pushing the button for the elevator. When the doors opened, Myles was surprised to see his co-workers once again.

"What happened? Is Sue okay?" he asked them worriedly.

"Oh, she's fine," Tara assured him. "She was just a little…busy at the moment, so we thought we'd check out the gift shop for few minutes."

"Oh, okay," Myles replied, feeling slightly mystified. He turned to Ami as she stepped into the elevator. "I'll talk to you soon," he told her. She nodded and was still smiling as the doors closed behind her.

"What's the story with you and the doctor?" Bobby asked the moment Myles turned to face them again.

"No story," Myles replied quickly.

"Right. I guess that explains why you _don't_ have a silly grin on your mug right now," Bobby retorted teasingly.

Myles rolled his eyes and decided to change the subject before anyone else tried to hound him for details. "So did Sue ask you to come back later?" he asked them.

"No, actually she doesn't even know we're here yet," D replied with a grin.

"Then how do you--"

"Let's just say that she and Jack were in the middle of something," Lucy said, interrupting Myles mid-sentence. "We thought it might be best to give them a few minutes." Lucy's grin said it all. Obviously Jack and Sue's relationship had taken a positive turn.

"Ah," Myles said with a nod. "I think I get the picture. I'm glad they've patched things up," he added with genuine happiness. This was one of those rare occasions when he and Lucy were in total agreement. "So what are we looking for in the undoubtedly overpriced hospital gift shop?" he asked as they rounded the corner, and it came into view. Lucy and Tara glared at him. "Not that I'm implying that Sue isn't worth it," he added hastily. The girls ignored him and led the way into the gift shop.

"Doesn't matter how expensive the gift they pick out is. Just smile and nod, mate," Bobby advised. "Otherwise we're going to be in there forever."

"You'd better let the women take the lead here," D agreed. "The less you say, the better." He stood aside, motioning for Bobby and Myles to go in ahead of him.

"Aren't you coming?" Myles asked him.

D shook his head. "Someone's got to stay with Levi," he explained, not appearing overly disappointed. "That gift shop is pretty small. Sorry; guess you guys will have to go in without me," he said with a shrug. Bobby chuckled and followed the girls inside.

Myles sighed audibly, thinking he'd much rather be waiting with Levi, or better yet, trapped in an elevator with Ami Davis, than trapped in a hospital gift shop with this group.

Chapter 13

"Do your parents know what's going on?" Jack suddenly asked her. As much as he would have liked to keep feeling her soft lips pressed against his, he knew they'd be getting company at any moment.

Sue sighed. "No. I haven't told them anything," she replied. "I didn't want to worry them."

"Don't you think they should know?" Jack asked gently.

"I'll tell them, just not yet," Sue insisted. "I'd rather do it once I've been out of the hospital for a few days. If I called and told them right now, my mom would insist on flying out here. The last thing I want is to have her fussing over me right now."

"I can understand that," Jack told her. He had no doubt that Mrs. Thomas would catch the next flight if she knew that her daughter had just gotten out of surgery. "You will, however, have to deal with me fussing over you," he informed her with a sly grin.

"I think I can live with that," Sue replied with a smile that showed her dimples, and Jack leaned in close to kiss her again. A light knock on the door interrupted the moment, and they looked up to see their friends entering the room.

"Hey, you two," D greeted them. Levi excitedly bounded over to the bed, pulling D over with him. Jack grabbed hold of the golden before he could jump up on Sue, and she held out her hand to pet him.

"Hey buddy; I've missed you, too!" she told him, rubbing his head affectionately. Levi settled down after a few moments and lay down at Jack's feet. Relaxing his grip on the leash, D leaned over and gave Sue a kiss on the cheek. Bobby did the same and handed her the bouquet of flowers.

_Thank you,_ Sue signed with her free hand, then smiled as she admired the flowers. Lucy approached and gave Sue's hand a quick squeeze before letting go in order to sign something.

_I wish I could hug you_," she signed, a wistful expression on her face. _That'll just have to wait, I guess._ Sue nodded, and Jack could see her eyes filling with tears as she watched Lucy. _I'm so glad to see that you two are back together,_ Lucy added.

Seeing that Sue was having trouble keeping her composure, Myles stepped forward, holding out a gift bag to her. "This is from all of us," he told her. "I hope you recover soon, Sue. It's only been a day, but the office just isn't the same without you." Sue smiled warmly at him and passed her flowers to Jack, taking the bag from Myles. Reaching inside, she pulled out a tall glass vase, deep cobalt in color.

_Thank you,_ she signed. "It's beautiful."

Jack leaned over and touched her hand. "I'll fill it with water for you," he said. She handed him the vase, and he took it and the flowers over to the sink.

"How are you feeling?" Tara asked, taking her hand.

"I'm okay," Sue replied with a sigh. "I guess you're all probably curious as to why I'm here…just know that I'm going to be fine. Right now I can't say any more than that."

"It's all right," Tara told her. "Just get better, okay?" Sue nodded, biting her lip to keep from crying. Jack put the flowers on the table beside her bed and sat down next to her again. He could see the looks of concern on the faces of their friends. Other than Lucy and him, the rest of them could only imagine what was wrong. He knew all too well how they were feeling.

"We know you're probably very tired, Sue," Lucy said. "We'll go and let you get some rest, but I'm going to be coming by in the morning to see you." Sue nodded. "Do you need anything from home?"

"No, thanks," Sue told her. "I can't think of anything right now."

"Okay, well if you do just give me a call," Lucy said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"I will," Sue said, smiling gratefully. "Thanks for coming you guys," she told her friends. "It means a lot to me." The others nodded, and then sensing how tired Sue was, they said their good byes and left her to rest.

When they were gone Sue turned to Jack, gripping one of his hands in hers.

"You feeling okay?" he asked her. She looked awfully pale to him, and her eyelids were starting to droop.

"Yeah," she answered softly. "My stomach has finally settled down; I think I need to sleep, though."

"Okay," Jack said with a nod. "I'll be right here."

"Jack, will you hold me?" she asked in a small voice.

"Are you sure? I know you're sore; I don't want to hurt you," he said worriedly.

"Just don't touch my stomach or jump on the bed, and everything will be fine," Sue told him, smiling weakly. "Besides, I think you need to get some rest, too."

"Hey, don't worry about me," he insisted. "You need to concentrate on getting better."

Sue shook her head at him. "Just come here," she ordered sleepily. Jack smiled at her and complied, first flicking on the lamp beside the bed and turning out the overhead lights in the room. Then he walked around to the other side of the bed and carefully eased under the covers, making every effort not to jostle her. He snuggled up behind her, draping an arm over her upper body, resting his hand just above her breasts. Sue sighed in contentment, covering his hand with her own, holding on tightly. Mere minutes passed before her grip on him loosened, and her breathing became deep and even. _I could definitely get used to this,_ Jack thought to himself. _In a different setting, of course, and under different circumstances._ Closing his eyes, Jack allowed himself to be lulled to sleep by the soft sound of her breathing, and the feel of her in his arms.

The doctor left the room, and Sue let out a deep shuddering breath. Jack sat closer to her on the bed and wrapped his arms around her. Just holding her, he let her cry softly into his chest. His own eyes stung with unshed tears, but he wouldn't allow himself to lose control. He needed to be strong for her.

She looked up at him with tearstained cheeks, and he searched for the right words to comfort her. "I know this isn't the news you were hoping for, Sue," he said gently. "But there's still a chance--."

"It's just going to keep getting worse," Sue cut him off sadly. "Just more pain and more surgeries. And even then, there's no guarantee that I'll be able to have a child." Not knowing what else to say, Jack gently pulled her against him again. The doctor had told them that the damage done by the disease was definitely going to make it difficult for Sue to conceive. He recommended that if she wanted to have children she would need to do it sooner rather than later. The more the disease progressed, the harder it would be for her to become pregnant. He told her that when she was ready he could recommend her to a fertility specialist who would be able to better answer any further questions and would also be able to explain all of the options available to her.

Jack had been disappointed by the doctor's words and a little surprised at the same time. He wasn't sure why he would feel surprised. Maybe he had fooled himself into expecting a miracle. All he knew was that he wished there was some way he could spare her from all of this. He had feared that she might try and push him away again, but instead she seemed to be holding onto him for dear life. That, at least, was a relief. Her face buried in his chest, Sue murmured something too soft for Jack to hear. Putting his hands on either side of her face, he gently tilted her face toward his. "What is it?"

"I just want to go home," she said softly.

"I know you do," Jack said gently, as though speaking to a small child. "You'll be able to in just another day or two." Sue nodded, her luminous eyes filled with tears. "In the meantime, I'm going to be here with you," he reassured her.

"You don't have to stay here, Jack. I'm sure you need to get to work on the arson case," she said, dropping her eyes until his hand gently cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him.

Jack shook his head. "I spoke to Garrett yesterday while you were in surgery, and he agreed to assign another agent to lead the case so that I could be here with you," he informed her softly. "You're more important than any case could ever be." Sue smiled up at him, and then her face crumpled, her emotions getting the better of her. Jack held her as she clung to him, her body shaking with sobs.

Chapter 14

"There's a woman on the phone asking to speak to the lead investigator on the arson case," Lucy called over to D from across the bullpen. "She says that she thinks her ex-boyfriend may be involved."

"I'll take it." D reached for his phone, and the rest of the group listened intently as he spoke to the woman. Confident after a few moments that the woman was for real, D asked her to come in and speak with him. When he got off the phone, a satisfied smile spread across his face. "I think this might be it, folks."

"You really think this sheila will lead us to the perps?" Bobby asked eagerly.

"It sounds that way," D replied. "Her name is Jennifer Weber, 23 years old, and she claims that when she saw the composite drawings of our suspects on the news she recognized one of them as her ex. They had been living together, and she says he has been acting very strange lately and hanging out with friends that he didn't seem too eager to introduce her to. Finally she discovered that he's been heavily into drug use, which prompted her to break up with him just three days ago. She doesn't know where he was on the night of the last arson, but she says she's pretty sure that on the dates of the other fires, he was out all night. Apparently he came up with some very lame excuses, and she had actually suspected that he'd been cheating on her. Anyhow, she's going to be here in an hour or so."

"Sounds promising," Myles commented. "Should we call Jack? He'd probably want to be here for this."

"Let's wait," D told him. "If this turns out to be what we think, we'll let him know. There's no point dragging him away if this lead doesn't pan out."

A little under two hours later, D and Tara sat across from a nervous-looking young woman with shoulder-length auburn hair. Much different in person than she had been on the phone, she seemed hesitant to give away any more information.

"Jennifer, did you speak with Paul before you came here to see us today?" Tara asked her gently.

The girl looked at her with wide, frightened eyes. "Only because he called me. I didn't tell him I was coming here," she insisted. "But just listening to his voice made me doubt that I'm doing the right thing. I still love him. I'm so afraid for him," she admitted tearfully.

"We know this must be very difficult for you," D said soothingly. "But there could be lives at stake here. Any information you give us would be helpful."

"What else do you need to know?" she asked in a small voice.

Tara smiled at her. "We really appreciate you coming forward, Jennifer. Now, you say that you think he's been doing drugs?"

"I know he has," Jennifer replied hesitantly. "I found some cocaine in his coat pocket the other day when I was looking for some change. I confronted him with it, and he denied that it was his. I didn't buy it, though. Finding those drugs really explained how he's been acting lately. He hasn't been himself."

"How so?" D questioned.

"Well, he's a very gentle person, very mild-mannered," Jennifer began, her eyes filling with tears. "But lately he's been losing his temper all the time, and he's also been very distracted. I'll be talking to him, and he doesn't hear a word of it. It's like he's on another planet or something."

"Other than the drug use, did he ever give you reason to suspect that he was involved in something illegal?" D asked her.

"Not really…except for one thing," Jennifer said, reaching into her pocket, pulling out a tiny velvet bag. She pulled out a ring and held it out for D and Tara to see.

Tara took the ring from her and examined it closely for a moment before nodding at D. "Where did you get this, Jennifer?" she asked, trying hard to keep the excitement out of her voice.

"Paul gave it to me a week ago. He said it was a promise ring," Jennifer replied softly. "I have no idea how he could have afforded this. We don't have any money."

"Jennifer, we're going to need to keep this ring as evidence, okay?" D asked her. Jennifer nodded and looked at them curiously. "If this is what I think it is, you may have helped us break this case wide open," D informed her with a smile, and Jennifer seemed to relax with that bit of news.

Watching her sleep, Jack realized that even in slumber Sue's expression remained slightly troubled. His heart ached as he gazed at her, and he felt tears threaten again. Putting his head in his hands, Jack felt his control slip away as the tears began to fall. The vibrating of his pager brought him to his senses, and he pulled it off his belt to see who was paging him. With a sigh he stood up and placed a gentle kiss on Sue's forehead before going to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face.

Minutes later he was back in the room, feeling incredibly torn. They had gotten a major break in the arson case, and the team was preparing to bust one of the suspects. After telling D that he was going to need to wait for Sue to wake up before he could make a decision, he promised that he would be in touch. D said that they were hoping to make a move in the next couple of hours. SOG was watching the suspect's apartment and was going to notify the team when he arrived home from work. Jack wanted so much to be a part of this bust, but he was very hesitant to leave Sue the way she was feeling right now. A small part of him wanted to escape the confines of this hospital room, to get back to some semblance of normalcy. It was hard for Jack to admit that to himself. He wanted to be there for her, every step of the way, but this was also an important case.

"Everything okay?" Jack's head snapped up at the sound of her soft voice. She was looking at him curiously, eyeing the pager he was still holding in his hand.

Jack leaned over her, kissing her softly on the lips. "Did you have a nice sleep?" he asked gently.

"It was okay," Sue said with a shrug. "Did something happen with the case?" she asked.

Jack nodded slowly. "There's been a development. D's handling it though," he replied.

"Go," she told him. "I'll be here when you get back."

"They can manage without me; I'm staying," Jack insisted.

"No, Jack. I know that you want to be there, so take a break from the hospital. God knows I would if I could," Sue told him, taking his hands in hers. "I love you, and the fact that you're here means so much. I know you'll be back later."

"Are you sure?" he asked uncertainly.

Sue nodded emphatically. "I'll be fine. I'm probably just going to end up going back to sleep," she said with a yawn.

Jack smiled gently at her and looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before answering. "Okay. I'll have my cell phone with me in case you need anything." She nodded and let go of his hands, reaching up to gently stroke his face. Jack leaned down, kissing her softly.

When he pulled away Sue smiled at him breathlessly. "I think you should go now before I change my mind," she told him with a gentle laugh. Jack ran his fingers through her blonde hair and kissed her again before he reluctantly pulled himself away.

_I love you,_ he signed. With one last glance over his shoulder, he was gone.

Chapter 15

"So this ring is definitely the one that was stolen during the first arson?" Jack asked Myles as the two left the bullpen on their way to bring in Paul Walters.

Myles nodded. "We actually had Lisa Hillis come in to confirm our suspicions. The ring is very unique, so we were already pretty convinced, but she recognized it immediately. Mrs. Hillis was quite pleased to have her ring back," Myles told him with a smile. "More than that, she's relieved to know that we're getting closer to finding those responsible for the destruction of her home," he added.

"Do we have any idea who else is involved?" Jack inquired.

"We have a few names that are being looked into, but right now our main focus is on Walters," Myles replied. "We've got enough evidence to charge him at this point."

"I'm a bit out of the loop," Jack admitted. "I hope you don't mind filling me in on the way."

"I'd be glad to," Myles told him. "The sooner we bust this guy, the sooner you can get back to Sue," he said with a smile.

"I didn't know you were such a romantic, Myles." Jack grinned at him.

Myles rolled his eyes. "In all seriousness, I know that she needs you right now. I can see how happy you are together, and I know that you're good for each other. That's something we all strive for, isn't it? Someone who complements who we are?" Myles had a faraway look in his eyes as he spoke, and Jack wondered where he'd gone.

"I can't disagree with that. I guess the trick is that once you've found that person, do everything you can to hold on," Jack told him. When he thought back to how he'd felt during those dark days when he thought Sue didn't want to be with him…well, he didn't want to think about them anymore. Things weren't perfect now, but at least they were together.

"That's him?" Myles asked. He and Jack were parked just down the street from the building, waiting for a signal to go in. Bobby and D were nearby, also preparing to move. They would be ready to back them up if needed.

"Affirmative," Tara confirmed from her position in the surveillance van. "Myles, Jack, prepare to move. We're not going to give him much time to settle in."

Moments later, Tara told them that Paul Walters was in his apartment. One of their agents had already gained access to the building, and he opened the door for Myles and Jack. They quickly entered the apartment complex and raced up the stairwell. They knocked loudly and then heard the sound of footsteps approaching. There was a moment of silence. _Paul is no doubt looking through the spy hole,_ Jack thought to himself. _It's just us, your friendly neighborhood FBI._ The door opened a crack, the chain still attached, and Paul looked out at them. "Can I help you?" he asked, his eyes darting nervously from Myles to Jack.

"Paul Walters?" Myles asked him. Paul nodded warily. "FBI. We'd like to ask you a few questions." The look in Paul's eyes as he saw their badges said it all: utter panic. That was Jack's last thought before all hell broke loose.

It all happened so fast. The moment Myles identified them as FBI, there was a rush of activity from within the apartment. They could hear numerous panicked male voices, and then Paul slammed the door shut. Myles and Jack kicked it open, crashing through it, and were greeted with a chorus of gunfire. One of the bullets whizzed by Jack's head, lodging in the wall outside the apartment door. The two agents instinctively hit the floor, reaching for their weapons. Jack wasn't sure who had fired at them, but whoever it was had disappeared into another part of the apartment. The two agents rose to their feet, guns poised to fire if necessary. "This is Sam36, shots fired. We need backup teams 2 and 3 in position," Jack quietly told Tara as he and Myles exchanged a wide-eyed glance. This situation had just become a whole lot more complicated. "We don't know how many suspects there are," Myles added in a hushed tone. "I'd say at least three." Jack nodded. D and Bobby entered the room, looking around in surprise.

"What the hell happened?" Bobby whispered.

"They turned the tables on us; we were supposed to be the ones to catch them off guard," Jack informed him wryly. "Any chance they knew we were coming?"

"Good question," D muttered. They heard a door slam, and then the sound of a television set blaring. D took the lead, motioning for them to make their way out of the living room.

With much caution, the four of them quickly cleared the rest of the apartment, which consisted of only a small kitchen, tiny bathroom, and a bedroom, the room from which the sound of the television was emanating.

The four of them surrounded the door. "On three," Jack said softly. The others nodded, and he began to quietly count, "One…two…three." They kicked the door down, and gunfire rang out once again.

Tara jumped as the sound of gunfire assaulted her ears. She heard D's voice first as he shouted, "This is Sam39. Agent down! We've got an agent down!" Tara quickly called for paramedics, praying the bullet hadn't taken a fatal course. Mere minutes passed before she received an update on what had happened, but it seemed like an eternity.

"We've got 'em, Tara," Bobby told her. "Four of them." His voice was grave. Tara dreaded asking the next question, but she couldn't handle not knowing.

"Who's been hit?" she asked softly.

"It's Myles," Bobby replied. "He took it in the shoulder."

Her voice was small and barely audible as she asked, "How bad?"

"He's losing a lot of blood, but he's holding his own," Bobby assured her.

"Thank God," Tara breathed. "The ambulance should be here soon," she added.

"Good stuff," Bobby told her. He looked over at Myles, knowing how close they'd come to losing him. If that bullet had been just a few inches higher and a little more to the left…

"You hanging in there, mate?" Bobby asked him, kneeling down beside his fallen comrade.

"I'm still here," Myles replied weakly. His skin was pasty, and a thin sheen of sweat covered his face and neck, but he was alive. Other agents had taken Paul and his three friends away in handcuffs, all four of them wide-eyed and looking shocked at the way things had gone down. Jack, D, and Bobby had stayed behind to wait with Myles.

"That kid blew it," Jack said angrily. "He won't be seeing the light of day for a long time, with the attempted murder of an FBI agent added to the list of charges." Only one young man had been armed, but he'd used the gun without hesitation.

"It's definitely a waste of a life," D agreed. A few minutes later the paramedics arrived, quickly tending to Myles and moving him to a stretcher.

"You're going to be fine, mate," Bobby told him. "We'll meet you at the hospital." They had given him something for the pain, and the oxygen mask over his face prevented him from answering. His eyelids fluttered as he fought to stay awake, and his colleagues watched sympathetically as he was wheeled from the room.

The three of them stood in silence for a moment after they left, and Jack glanced at his watch. He turned to see Bobby and D grinning at him. "What?" he asked them, wrinkling his brow.

"Go ahead, Jack," D told him. "We can handle it from here."

"Don't keep the lady waiting," Bobby added with a dimpled grin.

"You sure?" Jack asked them, a smile spreading across his features.

"Go!" they said in unison. Not needing any more encouragement, Jack hurried out the door, his friends watching in amusement.

Chapter 16

Sue was asleep when Jack returned. He checked in with the nurse on duty, and she said that Sue had slept nearly the entire time he'd been gone. Seeing the worried look on his face, she assured him that it was to be expected after this type of surgery, and told him that sleep was the best thing for her right now.

Jack sat down in the chair beside Sue's bed and took her hand in his. He watched her sleep, admiring every detail of her face. Feeling his eyelids grow heavy, the stress of the past few days finally catching up with him, Jack closed his eyes for a moment.

"You're going to get a kink in your neck if you sleep there, Jack." He opened his eyes and discovered Sue, awake and watching him with a smile on her face. Obviously a moment had turned into a little more.

"Well, I fell asleep while I was looking at you, so the sweet dreams would have made up for any kink in my neck," he told her with a sly grin.

Sue chuckled at him. "Very nice. You know that you don't need to sweet-talk me to get into my bed, Jack," she teased him, her eyes twinkling. Jack grinned and squeezed her hand. It was obvious that she was in good spirits—the rest had done her good. "How did it go? Were you able to make an arrest?" she asked him.

"Four arrests, actually," Jack replied.

"That's great. So it's over, then?" she asked with relief.

"Yeah. Things got a bit complicated, though," Jack said carefully.

"What happened?" she asked worriedly.

"He's going to be okay, but Myles was shot," Jack told her.

Sue gasped. "Oh, no! Poor Myles!"

"Lucky Myles," Jack corrected. "He's lucky to be alive. The kid was just firing away; that bullet could have easily hit Myles in the neck or head instead of the shoulder."

"Thank God it didn't," Sue said with a shudder. "You know, I'm glad I had no idea about any of this until it was over with," she told him. "I would have been so worried."

"Well, there's no need to worry now. Everyone's okay." Jack leaned over her, giving her a kiss on the forehead. Sue's hand went to the back of his head, guiding his lips to hers.

"I'm glad you're okay," she told him breathlessly when they'd parted.

"So am I," Jack replied, kissing her one more time before sitting back in the chair.

Sue smiled happily at him and held tightly to his hands for a moment, looking thoughtful. "I want you to fill me in on all the details of the case, Jack, but that can wait until later. Why don't you go home and get some rest?" she suggested.

Jack looked at her in surprise. "No, I'm fine; I just want—"

"I know you haven't been sleeping very well here," Sue interrupted. "And after the night you've had, you need to get some sleep in your own bed. I'll be fine on my own," she said firmly.

Jack was a bit taken aback, but he could see by the determined look in her eyes that she wasn't going to take no for an answer. She was taking care of _him_ now, so he knew she was definitely on the mend. "Okay, I'll go, but I'm going to be back first thing in the morning," he promised. Sue grinned and willingly accepted a kiss good-bye.

When Jack returned to Sue's room in the morning, he found the bathroom door closed, and he could hear water running. She'd gotten a hold of him earlier, telling him that the doctor had approved her release. Jack was going to take her home as soon as she was ready. While he was waiting for her to come out of the bathroom, Jack wandered around the room, picking up her belongings and putting them into her bag. Minutes later Sue emerged, wearing a long skirt and shirt that, while casual, still caused Jack's breath to catch in his throat when he saw her in them.

Sue smiled when she spotted him. "Good morning; I'm glad you're here. I can't wait to go home," she told him happily.

"Good morning to you, too. Well, you don't have to wait any longer," Jack replied, smiling at her eagerness to leave. "By the way, you look very pretty, Sue," he told her, signing the last line as he spoke.

_Thank you,_ she signed, blushing slightly. "Does this mean you didn't like the hospital gown look?" She wore a playful expression, and Jack thought she looked absolutely stunning, despite the lingering tiredness in her eyes.

"On you, I like _any_ look," he told her, moving to take her in his arms. He hugged her to him gently, and Sue wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her head against his shoulder. There was a light knock on the door, and they pulled apart just as a nurse entered, pushing a wheelchair.

"I hear you're very eager to leave us, Sue," the nurse said with a smile. She'd been on shift the previous days as well, and Jack thought she'd been a welcome distraction at times, with her bubbly personality and amusing anecdotes.

"Nothing personal, Tracie," Sue said with a smile. "I'm just ready to get home."

"Don't worry, I'm used to it," Tracie answered cheerfully. "I'm glad you're feeling well enough to go home, hon. I've got your release papers here. Once you sign them you're free to go. After the complimentary wheelchair ride, of course," she added with a wink. Sue signed the forms; Jack grabbed her things, and the three of them left the room. They were waiting for the elevator to arrive when it happened, and the happy mood was broken.

Coming down the hall towards them from the opposite direction was another young couple. The man was pushing his wife in a wheelchair, and nestled in her arms was a tiny bundle. Sue immediately paled, her eyes meeting Jack's. Her expression was completely blank, and Jack knew she was fighting to stay calm. He put a hand over hers and willed the elevator doors to open now so that they wouldn't end up having to share the elevator with the happy little family. It would be like rubbing Sue's nose in the fact that she might never get to experience what that couple was experiencing at this moment. Mercifully, the elevator arrived before they got too close, and Tracie pushed the wheelchair inside, Jack following quickly. Jack had to give the nurse some credit; she seemed to know exactly what was going on and didn't even attempt to hold the elevator for the other couple.

Jack glanced at Sue; her eyes were averted, staring at the floor. He squeezed her hand, and she looked up at him, her eyes full of tears. _I'm sorry,_ he signed.

_Not your fault,_ she responded. She reached for his hand again, and he held on as the elevator took them to the lobby. Tracie helped them out to the car and smiled sympathetically before she headed back into the hospital. Neither of them spoke a word on the drive home, but when Jack wasn't shifting gears he was holding her hand.

Chapter 17

The apartment was empty when they arrived; Lucy was at work and had taken Levi with her. Jack unfolded the hide-a-bed in the living room and helped Sue get settled, then carefully sat down beside her, putting his arm around her. She turned to look at him with sad eyes. "I know that was difficult for you, and it was the last thing you needed to see right now," Jack said softly. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she replied. "I just wasn't expecting to feel the way I did." She closed her eyes for a moment, and Jack reached over to gently touch her cheek. Her eyes met his again.

"I know it might be hard to look ahead right now, but someday you're going to be a mother, if that's what you really want," Jack told her.

"How can you be so sure?" Sue asked doubtfully.

"Just look at everything you've accomplished in your life. You figure out what you want, and you go after it," he said.

"But this time it isn't up to me," Sue protested softly.

"You can't control _how_ it happens, but if it's something that you want, then you're going to make it happen. I have faith in you," Jack said, smiling at her. "Even if you never conceive, there's always adoption." He hadn't planned on having this conversation with her so soon, but something told him that now was the time. She needed to know how he felt.

"I know," Sue said quietly. "But what if…" she hesitated, looking into his eyes. "Not everyone wants to raise children that aren't theirs by blood."

Jack took her hand. "Well, you already know where I stand on that." He looked at her meaningfully. Nothing was certain in their relationship, nothing written in stone, but Jack needed her to know that he planned on sticking by her. She didn't have a ring on her finger, but in his mind he was more than prepared to commit for life. Their time apart had only reinforced that belief.

Sue looked into his eyes, and he could see the doubt there. "You might feel differently if you're ever faced with making the decision," she said softly. "Wouldn't you rather have children of your own than adopt?"

"Of course I would like to have a family with the woman I love," he replied, reaching over to softly caress her cheek. "But if we can't have any children of our own, I would definitely want to adopt."

"I'm glad," Sue told him, her eyes shining. "I know we talked about this when we were undercover, but things were different then. It's good to know you still feel that way."

"I do," he told her. She smiled and put her hand on the back of his neck, bringing his face to hers and kissing him. Jack responded to her kiss with restrained passion. While he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and feel her body flush against his, he knew that would have to wait. Right now the main thing was that she'd accepted the fact that he wasn't going anywhere; better than that, she was welcoming his closeness instead of keeping him at arm's length.

Jack broke their kiss and leaned down to nuzzle her neck. Sue let out a soft moan as his hands brushed lightly over her breasts, and his lips left feather-light kisses on her neck. Her fingers moved from his face to his hair, softly weaving their way through it. Jack felt her shudder as his fingers gently caressed her body and his lips moved from her neck back to her mouth. It was amazing to him, how easy it was to get caught in the moment with this woman, and the strength of his feelings for her. The effect she had on him was powerful; he couldn't get enough of her. Still, he was ever conscious of the fact that a wrong move on his part could very well cause her pain. Jack ended the kiss, afraid of getting too carried away.

Sue smiled lovingly up at him. "Well, that was a nice distraction," she said, sounding slightly out of breath.

"Anytime," he told her with a grin.

"I may take you up on that," she informed him.

"I'll look forward to it; I'm happy to be of service," he replied with a wink. Sue laughed at him and rolled her eyes. "Right now, though, you need your rest."

Sue raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, really? Is that an order?"

"If you want it to be," he told her sternly. Sue scrunched her nose at him, and he broke into a grin, chuckling at her. "Seriously, the last thing I want is for you to be in any more pain because of me."

"I wasn't feeling any pain just now, believe me," Sue told him impishly. "But I get your point."

"Good. But don't get me wrong; the last thing I want is to keep my distance from you. That's not something I ever want," he assured her.

"I'm starting to figure that out," she said softly. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you, Jack. There was just so much going on---" Jack silenced her, putting a finger to her lips.

"No apologies. You've got enough to think about without worrying about that. Just know that I'm here for you now, and I always will be." Jack put his arm around her, and Sue let out a contented sigh, cuddling against his side.

Chapter 18

Myles Leland III was not a good patient. Despite his best efforts, he just had a difficult time laying back and letting other people take care of him. After a full day in the hospital, he was also starting to get extremely restless. His sister, Anne, had dropped by in the morning, bringing him a couple of novels to read, but he had quickly tired of them. There was also a certain nurse who was a bit star-struck over the fact that he was a 'real-life' FBI agent. Normally Myles would have to admit that he liked that kind of attention, but there was something about this woman that reminded him very much of Arlene, the rotor who had substituted for Lucy once, and who was now working as a nurse for the bureau. The pain in his shoulder was actually pretty low down on the list of things that were irritating him right now.

Flowers and cards from the bureau had been arriving all day, and his room was beginning to look like a florist shop. While Myles appreciated that everyone was thinking of him, but he would have rather seen some of these people in person. By the time the evening visiting hours rolled around, he was more than ready to see the members of his team, who had promised to drop by at some point.

Tara and Bobby arrived first. Tara's mouth dropped open, and Bobby chuckled as they looked around the room. "Sorry we didn't bring you any more flowers, Myles," Bobby said with a grin.

Myles rolled his eyes. "You don't know how much that disappoints me," he replied sarcastically.

"We could always go down to the gift shop and get some for you," Tara suggested, raising an eyebrow at him.

Myles shook his head. "I think I can live without another gift of the floral variety," he told her. "Thanks just the same."

"Don't worry, mate. When Lucy and D arrive, we'll give you your gift. We got you something much better than flowers," Bobby assured him. As if on cue, Lucy and D walked into the room.

"Who died?" Lucy asked, frowning at all of the flowers. D chuckled, and Myles rolled his eyes again.

"I'm glad to see that you're all getting such a kick out of this. Ladies, if you would like to avail yourselves of some of my flowers, feel free. Maybe Darcy and Donna would appreciate receiving some flowers?" he told Bobby and D. The four of them looked around the room doubtfully.

"Thanks for the offer, Myles, but we can't take your flowers," Tara said, taking a seat in the chair next to his bed. "How's your shoulder?"

"It could be worse, I suppose. They're just keeping me in here until tomorrow morning for observation. The pain itself is manageable," Myles told her.

"Here's something that might cheer you up," D said, handing him a brightly wrapped package. Myles took the gift, feeling flattered that they'd taken the time.

"It's from Jack and Sue, too," Lucy told him. "She was released this morning, and Jack is staying with her right now."

"I'm glad she's at home; please tell her that I'll call her tomorrow," Myles said as he pulled the paper from the gift. Lucy nodded, and then smirked at the expression on Myles' face as he eyed the box in his hands.

"Donuts?" he said, looking at the box in disbelief.

"Not just _any_ donuts," D said with dramatic flourish. "Krispy Kremes: a staple in the diet of any self-respecting law enforcement agent."

"Hey, if you don't want them, I'll gladly take them off your hands," Bobby informed him with a grin, making a move to take the box from him.

Myles moved the donut box out of the Aussie's reach, putting his hands over it possessively. "That won't be necessary," he said. "I appreciate the gesture. I'm sure I won't have any difficulty eating these, what with the food they serve around here," he insisted with a grimace.

"Well, we figured you'd appreciate them, considering you've been living on hospital food for the last twenty-four hours," Tara told him. "This was the best way for us to smuggle them in for you," she added with a smile.

"Well, it was an inspired idea," Myles told her. "I think I'll indulge myself with one right now." He opened the box and pulled out a donut, then motioned for them all to take one. The five of them were nibbling away when they heard a soft knock on the door.

"Is there room for one more?" Ami Davis stood hesitantly by the door.

"Ami! Of course there's room; please come in," Myles beckoned her into the room. "How did you—"

"I heard on the news that the arsonists were in custody, but they reported that an agent had also been shot during the bust," Ami said, eyeing Myles' bandaged shoulder with concern. "Your name wasn't released to the media, but it pays to have connections," she continued with a smile. "I called the hospital and was able to find out what had happened. But I wanted to make sure you were really okay," she added, biting her lower lip gingerly. Myles was touched by the worry on her face, and he noticed that she was blushing a little as all eyes in the room focused on her. He thought it made her all the more stunning.

"I'm going to live," Myles replied with a smile. "It was really nice of you to come."

"Well, I hope I didn't come at a bad time," she said, glancing around the room.

"Not at all," D insisted, polishing off his donut. "In fact, we were just heading out."

"We were?" Tara asked, sounding perplexed.

Lucy looked at her friend sharply, raising her eyebrows. "Weren't you coming with us to see Sue?"

"Oh, yeah," Tara said, standing up quickly. "I hope you enjoy the donuts, Myles." Tara was the first one out the door. Myles watched her go, wondering at the sudden coolness in her demeanor. She was one of the few women in his life that generally wasn't a complete mystery to him.

"Goodnight, Myles. Nice to see you again, Ami," Lucy said, as she quickly followed Tara out the door.

"Right, I guess we should be off, then," Bobby said to D. The two of them said their goodbyes and headed after the women.

"Is it just me, or do your friends seem to pull a vanishing act whenever I'm around?" Ami asked with a wink, taking a seat in the chair Tara had just vacated.

"They're not very subtle, are they?" Myles asked wryly.

"Not in the least," Ami agreed with a smile, and then switched gears. "How are you feeling?" she asked him sympathetically. "When I called to find out your condition, I was told that you were recovering from surgery to remove the bullet. "

"You called the hospital?" Myles asked in surprise.

Ami looked slightly embarrassed as she nodded. "I was worried," she told him softly. It took all of his willpower not to reach for her hand. It wasn't often that a woman like Ami Davis showed such a strong interest in him, and he hoped that he wouldn't do anything that might put an end to this before it had even gotten started.

"I appreciate your concern," Myles told her in a gentle voice. "I'm going to be just fine, though. My shoulder is a bit tender, but I'll be recovered in no time."

"That's good news," she said, smiling brightly. "When are they going to discharge you?"

"Tomorrow morning, according to my doctor," Myles replied.

"That's not so bad," Ami remarked cheerfully. "And at least we know you're not going to go hungry until then," she teased, eyeing the box of donuts sitting beside him on the bed.

"Yes, these were in lieu of flowers," he joked. "Forgive my rudeness; would you like one?" Myles asked her.

Ami shook her head. "Oh, no thanks," she replied with a smile, and then looked at him thoughtfully. "Myles, I was thinking about our coffee date on the way over here," she told him. "With your injury, you're probably not going to feel like going out anytime soon," she said hesitantly. Myles opened his mouth to speak but closed it again as Ami continued, "and I was wondering if you might let me cook you dinner sometime, instead."

Myles raised his eyebrows in surprise. "That would be wonderful," he told her with a wide grin. "I would imagine I'm going to be fairly useless in the kitchen until my shoulder heals," he admitted.

"Well, it's settled then," Ami said. "How about Thursday evening at my place?"

"Thursday sounds lovely," Myles replied, feeling his heart thundering in his chest.

"Great! How about you call me tomorrow night. I'll be home around four; we can discuss the details then," Ami suggested.

"I'll definitely do that," Myles told her.

"Okay," she said happily. "I guess I should probably leave so you can get some rest." She started to stand up, but Myles reached out a hand, putting it over hers as she gripped the arm of the chair.

"Please stay," Myles said. Ami looked at him, a surprised smile on her face. "I've been going out of my mind today and would love some company," he confessed.

"When you put it that way, how could I possibly say no?" Ami replied with a chuckle. "I can stay for a bit longer," she told him. Myles grinned at her, amazed that his luck appeared to be changing.

Chapter 19

No one could miss Myles' unusually cheerful demeanor on Friday morning. Tara and Bobby looked up as he entered the bullpen, whistling a tune under his breath, and looked at each other in surprise. This was a far cry from his mood the previous day, his first day back to work since being released from the hospital. In addition to the pain he'd been in, the fact that he'd been on desk duty had not made him very happy.

"Okay, I'll bite," Bobby said from his desk, looking at Myles somewhat suspiciously. "What's got you in such a chipper mood this morning?"

"Good morning to you, too, Manning. Can't a man just be in a good mood on a beautiful day such as this?" Myles retorted, gingerly removing his coat and hanging it on the coat stand.

"Not after yesterday," Tara replied dryly. "And from what I can see, your shoulder is still in a sling."

"Besides, it's not like you to be cheerful at the best of times," Lucy chimed in, having caught the tail end of the conversation as she walked into the bullpen. "The pain medication must be working today, I guess," she added.

"If you _must_ know," Myles said, directing a glare in Lucy's direction, "I had a dinner date last night."

"Was the lovely Dr. Davis present for this dinner?" Bobby asked with eyebrows raised.

"Were _you_ present for this dinner?" Lucy quipped sarcastically.

Myles narrowed his eyes at her remark before responding. "Yes, I had dinner with Ami," he answered. "And that's all I'm going to say on the subject."

"Oh, come on, Myles!" Bobby exclaimed. "There's got to be more to the story than that."

Tara, who had been silently listening to the exchange, suddenly looked up from her computer. "If Myles doesn't want to share, then why don't you just drop it?" she suggested, looking at Lucy and Bobby pointedly.

"Thank you, Tara," Myles told her, flashing her a grateful smile. "It's nice to know that at least someone around here is able to grasp the concept of privacy."

Bobby snorted, shaking his head. He started to make a comeback, but was interrupted by Tara. "Lucy, how's Sue doing?" she asked, swiftly changing the subject.

"She's doing better," Lucy replied. "She's getting a bit restless from all the bed rest, but having Jack around is definitely helping."

"Lucky that the case wrapped up when it did, otherwise he probably wouldn't have been able to take this week off to be with her," Bobby said.

"Yes, lucky for that reason and for the fact that there's no longer a group of serial arsonists on the loose," Myles pointed out.

"There _is_ that," Tara agreed with a wry smile in Myles' direction. "And to think it was all so they could get money for drugs," she mused, shaking her head.

"Yes, it certainly makes one wonder, what the world is coming to when four young men with no prior criminal records among them end up charged with murder," Myles commented.

"I guess it just goes to show what can happen when someone gets involved with drugs," Lucy said, sitting down at her computer. "It's pretty scary when you think about how many lives were affected…" Her voice trailed off as a smile spread across her features.

"What is it?" Tara asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing," Lucy replied, her eyes fixed on her computer screen. "Just an email."

Myles looked at her doubtfully; judging by the dreamy look on her face, it was more than just an email. But knowing how he'd felt just moments before when his relationship with Ami Davis had been the topic of interest, Myles decided not to put Lucy in the same position…even if she didn't care to give him the same consideration. He helped himself to a cup of coffee, a more tedious task than usual, given that he was working one-handed right now.

He was just heading over to his desk when D rushed into the bullpen, telling them that they'd been given a new case. Myles sighed inwardly, not overly eager to hear about it, knowing that, for the most part, he was going to be in the background. He chided himself, knowing that for all the discomfort he was experiencing, what Sue was going through was far worse as she recovered from her surgery. While he still wasn't sure why she'd needed surgery in the first place, it was obvious that it was more than just a simple operation. Luckily she had Jack to lean on, and she wasn't pushing him away anymore. Thinking of the relationship between Jack and Sue inevitably led his thoughts back to Dr. Ami Davis. Myles smiled softly to himself, trying to focus on D's words as memories of their dinner the night before filled his mind. It hadn't been the case for a long time, but Myles Leland III could safely say that right now, the future appeared bright. He couldn't wait to find out what it held.

Sue let out a sigh as she hung up the phone. She leaned back against the couch, and Jack ran his fingers lightly through her hair. At his urging, she'd finally made the call to her parents, telling them about her surgery. Now, seeing the look on her face, Jack wished that he had just left it alone. He had listened while she'd explained that she was going to be just fine, but she would be off work for a while so that she could recover. She had been purposely vague when describing her condition; with the future being so uncertain, she hadn't wanted to worry her parents with the details. It had been evident to Jack, almost since the conversation had begun, that Mrs. Thomas wasn't accepting Sue's explanation. Even though he only witnessed Sue's side of the conversation, her had a pretty good idea of what she was going to say next. "They're coming," Sue informed him dismally.

"I kind of figured that," Jack told her. "Sounded like she wouldn't take no for an answer."

"That's an understatement," Sue replied tiredly, with an attempt at a weak smile. "They're going to be here in a couple of days; Mom insisted that at a time like this, I shouldn't be alone. I tried to explain to her that I'm not alone, but she just wouldn't listen."

"How long are they going to stay?" Jack asked, as he watched Sue's shoulders droop with the news of her parent's impending visit.

"She wants to stay for a week," Sue answered, sighing deeply. "I can't do it, Jack. I can't handle this and her. It's too much." She was close to tears, an almost frantic look in her eyes.

Jack took her hands in his, squeezing them gently as he tried to reassure her. "They're your parents; I'm sure they only want to help. Besides, I have to go back to work next week. It might be good to have them around to help you out," he pointed out.

Sue shook her head. "It's not that part I can't deal with, Jack," she told him. "All my life, my mother has expected nothing but the very best from me. She's been behind me, always pushing me to be better than I am. I know she means well, but right now I don't want to deal with her."

"I know she's been hard on you, but don't you think that she might just want to be here to support you?" he suggested gently.

"My mother is very stubborn, Jack. When she finds out the whole story, that I may not be able to have children…" Sue's voice faded away as tears took over. _She won't accept it,_" she signed. _She'll try to take charge._

_I'm here for you,_ Jack signed, then took her face in his hands, wiping away her tears. "I'll help you face your mother, okay?" he said, hoping his words would reassure her. "You're not alone."

"I know, and I'm glad you're here," Sue told him, giving him a small smile. "The truth is that right now, I just want to forget about what's happening with my body. When I was first diagnosed, it was like I'd been kicked in the stomach." She sighed deeply. "Now that some time has passed, I know that things may not be as hopeless as I first thought. But I also know that I'm just not ready to go there, yet," she admitted.

"I can understand that," Jack told her. In the week since her surgery, they'd had a few long talks about what Sue's condition could mean for their future. While they both knew that she might never be able to conceive a child naturally, they also realized that it didn't mean she couldn't ever experience motherhood. Jack had been as supportive as possible, but sometimes he found it hard to find the right words to express how he was feeling. Despite the difficult times they were facing, he was grateful for the strength of their relationship now. He felt like they could handle anything together. "Whatever I can do to make this easier on you--anything at all, please tell me," he added, raising her hands to his lips for a gentle kiss.

"I can think of something you could do right now," Sue said softly.

Jack looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Anything," he told her.

"Just make me forget." Putting her hands on the nape of his neck, Sue pulled his face toward hers, bringing her soft lips to his.

Chapter 20

Four Weeks Later…

Sue left Garrett's office and walked over to Jack's desk. He looked up at her, and she smiled brightly at him. "So?" he asked eagerly.

"I'm officially returning to work full-time on Monday," she replied happily.

"That's great news!" Jack stood up from his desk and gave her a quick hug. She'd been working part-time for the past two weeks, having been determined to get back to work as soon as possible after her surgery. The rest of the team had made sure that she didn't push herself too hard, and Jack had done his best not to hover. While her recovery from the physical side of her surgery had gone smoothly, there were certain moments when he could sense that her emotions were still somewhat fragile. "It'll be good to have you back," he told her as she smiled at him.

Tara came up beside them and put a hand on Sue's arm. "I take it things went well with Garrett?" she asked hopefully. Tara had run into Sue just as she had arrived at the office. She'd come straight from her doctor's appointment and had seemed pretty certain that Garrett would approve of her return.

Sue nodded. "My doctor says I can return to work full-time, so Garrett didn't see any reason to hold me back."

"I'm glad; I've missed working with you every day," Tara told her happily. "Hey, should we all go out and celebrate tonight?" she suggested.

Sue glanced at Jack, and the two of them shared a smile. "Actually, we've already got plans," he told Tara cryptically. "I'd rather not share her with anyone tonight," he added with a wink.

"Jack is taking me out to dinner," Sue explained, leaning against the side of his desk.

"I guess our celebrating will just have to wait for another night, then," Tara told them with a grin.

"What are we celebrating?" Bobby asked, walking up behind her.

"Sue's coming back full-time on Monday," Tara replied.

"It's about time!" Bobby declared, reaching over to give Sue a high-five. "I'd say this definitely calls for some celebrating."

"Well, Jack apparently has other plans for the evening," Tara informed him.

"I'll bet he does," Bobby said, a twinkle in his eye. "You sure you don't want to come with us, Sue? You'd probably have a lot more fun," he teased.

Sue rolled her eyes and took Jack's hand. "Not this time," she told Bobby as Jack slipped an arm around her waist.

"You've got this one wrapped around your little finger, don't you Spark?" Bobby grinned at the two of them as Lucy entered the bullpen and walked over to the group. "Well, I'm not surprised. She had you wrapped around hers from the moment she walked into your office that day. It was just a matter of time before you won her over."

Sue smiled at Jack, shaking her head. "Why do I get the feeling that anything we say is only going to encourage him?"

"Probably because you're a very smart woman," Jack told her, smiling fondly at her. Lucy waved to get Sue's attention, and she broke her gaze with Jack to look over at her roommate.

_What's going on?_ Lucy signed.

_Bobby's just realized that I'd rather go for dinner with Jack than celebrate with him,_ Sue answered.

"Celebrate what?" Lucy asked, grinning as looked from Sue to Jack and back to her roommate again.

Sue frowned at her. _What did you say?_

_Sorry,_ Lucy signed. _What are you celebrating?_

"I'm back to work on Monday, and it's more than just desk-duty this time," Sue replied with a grin. Lucy squealed and threw her arms around her friend.

"I know how much you've wanted to come back; I'm so happy for you!" Lucy exclaimed once they'd parted.

"I'm ready to come back," Sue agreed. "I haven't really known what to do with myself, having all this spare time…other than the week my parents came to visit," she added with a frown.

Jack tightened his arm around her waist, remembering the night Sue had come to his apartment in tears over an argument she'd had with her mother. Mrs. Thomas had suggested that Sue should come back to Ohio to recuperate and was very firm about why she thought so.

There was also the matter of Sue's condition, and her mother's opinion on the subject. She wanted Sue to see all sorts of different specialists—to get a second opinion. When Sue had told Jack about their conversation it had made him angry. He couldn't believe that Mrs. Thomas had such a hard time accepting that Sue was a grown woman, more than capable of taking care of herself. He'd offered to go back with her and help her talk to her mother, but in the end Sue had decided it was something she needed to do on her own.

So, Sue and her mother had talked, but things had remained strained between the two women for the remainder of the visit. Jack had at least been relieved that Sue's parents were still very accepting of his presence in their daughter's life. Sue had told him later that having him around had definitely helped ease the tension.

"Well, enjoy your last few days of freedom, Sue," Bobby said with a smile. "Because I'm sure it won't be long before it feels like you never left. You won't have time to be bored, then," he warned her, wagging his finger back and forth.

"I can't wait," Sue insisted, her face brightening again. "I've really missed it—and all of you, of course."

"We've missed you, too," Tara told her, pulling Sue into a quick hug. "I hope you two have a nice time tonight," she said, signing the words to Sue as she spoke. "But we'll all have to get together sometime soon, okay?"

Sue nodded, and her eyes met Jack's. He grinned at her, and she smiled back at him. "So, is six-o'clock okay?" he asked her. She looked at him quizzically for a moment, but her smile returned when he signed the question instead. Sue nodded, and the look in her eyes made him feel for a moment like they were the only two in the room.

Chapter 21

Jack stood outside Sue's apartment, holding a bouquet of roses. When she opened the door, he was caught off guard by how radiant she looked in the short black dress she was wearing. The way she looked in that dress, with her hair loose and flowing down her back, left him speechless.

"Hi," she said. He just stood there for a moment, drinking in every inch of her as she smiled shyly at him.

"Hi, yourself," he replied, his voice low in his throat. Unable to resist, his leaned forward, his lips seeking hers. When they parted, Jack handed her the roses.

_Thank you,_ she signed. "They're beautiful."

Jack shook his head. _You are what's beautiful,_ he signed, looking into her eyes intently.

Sue blushed. "Well, you told me to get dressed up," she said modestly.

"And I can see that you took me very seriously. You look amazing," he told her, stealing another glance as she motioned him into the apartment.

Sue thanked him again, and then smiled appreciatively at him. "You're not so bad yourself, Jack." He grinned at her, signing his thanks, then followed her as she went to put the roses in a vase. He waved to Lucy, who was typing furiously on her laptop.

"Hey, Lucy. Catching up on work?" Jack asked her.

Lucy barely glanced up to answer him. "Oh, hey, Jack. No, actually I'm just chatting online with a friend of mine."

"Have fun," Jack said, as he followed Sue into the kitchen. "She seems distracted," he said, after taking Sue's hand to get her attention.

"You could say that," she replied. "She's been on that computer almost constantly the past few days." Sue quickly found a vase for the roses, and then she and Jack headed for the door. They told Lucy goodbye as they walked past, and she waved absentmindedly as the two of them left the room.

Jack helped Sue with her coat, then gently spun her around, pulling her into a hug before kissing her again. When the kiss ended she looked at him with eyebrows raised. "I just can't help it. I can't keep my hands off you tonight," he told her with a devilish grin.

"I'm not complaining," Sue said softly. Gently grasping him by the collar, she pulled him towards her again. Feeling her lips against his and inhaling the intoxicating scent of her skin, Jack wondered if maybe they should just skip out on dinner altogether.

He smiled at her when their lips finally parted. "If we don't go soon, Lucy's going to wonder what's taking us so long," he said, mischief dancing in his eyes.

"Oh, these days Lucy's kind of out of it once she turns on that computer," Sue told him, a hint of concern in her eyes. Jack opened his mouth to question her, but she cut him off. "Don't ask. But you're right; we should go."

"Do you mind if we stop by my place on the way?" Jack asked her.

Sue shook her head. "I don't mind." She gave him a questioning look.

"There's something I want to show you," Jack explained. He could tell that she was curious, but she didn't press him further. She just smiled as he put a hand on the small of her back, guiding her out of the apartment.

They entered his apartment hand in hand, and Jack led Sue over to the couch. _Wait here; I'll be right back,_ he signed. Sue nodded, looking mystified. Jack walked back into the room a few minutes later, one hand tucked behind him. He smiled at her, hoping that he didn't look as nervous as he felt. The smile Sue gave him in return was a slightly suspicious one, but it changed into one of shock when he revealed what he'd been hiding behind his back.

Jack felt a sense of relief that she was still smiling as she eyed the object in his hand. Since they'd gotten back together, they'd had many long talks about their future together, including marriage and a family. He was certain that they were on the same page this time. Still, he proceeded carefully, wanting to tell her exactly what was in his heart as her eyes raised to meet his again.

"Sue, you're the most important person in my life," Jack began, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I love you so much. You make me feel like the luckiest man alive, and all I want is to make you the happiest woman alive. Will you marry me?" She looked at him with tear-filled eyes. A strong sense of deja vu hit him, and for one heart-stopping instant, Jack thought that she was going to turn him down again. Whatever she decided, she had the power to make him deliriously happy or crush his heart in one fell swoop.

_Yes,_ she signed, the joy written all over her face. "I will." Jack pulled her into his arms, tasting her lips before wrapping his arms around her. Sue laid her head against his shoulder and let out a shuddering sigh, tightening her grip on him. He never wanted to let her go, but he couldn't wait any longer to see the ring in his hand sparkling on hers.

Taking Sue's left hand in his, Jack slipped the ring on her finger. He heard her breath catch in her throat as she gazed at it, then she looked at him and smiled. She started to speak, but her voice came out a choked sob. She gently pulled her hand out of his and began to sign, _Thank you for not giving up on us. For not giving up on me._

"I never will," Jack told her. "I love you too much."

"I love you, too," Sue whispered, putting her hands gently on his face. Her fingers delicately traced his lips as she gazed into his eyes. Jack put his arms around her, pulling her closer, and she closed the gap, bringing her lips to his. He heard her sigh softly as they kissed, and she snuggled her body close to him. Knowing how easy it would be for them to get carried away, Jack gently pulled away from her, grinning at her breathlessly.

"As much as I would love to stay here like this with you," he told her, taking both her hands in his and bringing her knuckles to his lips before continuing, "I've made dinner reservations. Plus the fact that I want to take you out and show you off to the world as my future wife." Sue blushed at his words. "Ready to go celebrate?" he asked her.

"I thought that's what we were doing?" Sue replied, grinning impishly at him. Jack brushed his hand over her shoulder, feeling her shiver at his touch, and he stopped to finger the strap of her dress. His eyes drank in the creamy color of her skin, while his fingers ached to feel the softness hidden from his touch.

Resisting temptation, Jack took her hands in his and stood up, pulling her to her feet. "Tonight we're going to celebrate in style," he informed her. "Nothing but the best for the future Mrs. Hudson," he said with a wink.

Sue smiled, but her eyes unexpectedly filled with tears again. "What did I do to deserve you?" she asked.

"That's my line," Jack told her, reaching over to cup her face in his hands. "You're amazing. I thank God every day for bringing you into my life." Jack could see that Sue was clearly overwhelmed with emotion as she watched him. "Whatever happens, I know that being able to spend the rest of my life with you will be enough for me. That's all I want."

"Even if—" Sue's words were cut off as Jack put a finger to her lips, silencing her.

"No matter what," he told her. The smile she gave him made his heart stop, and he put his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment before Sue leaned forward, brushing her lips against his. Jack's hands moved to the back of her head and softly ran his fingers through her hair, while his lips were more demanding on hers. They pulled apart breathlessly, and Jack tenderly wiped away a single tear that had found its way down Sue's cheek. "You okay?" he asked her.

Sue nodded. "I had so many doubts about what the right decision would be if you asked me again to marry you," she admitted. "But as soon as I saw the ring, I knew what my answer would be. I know this is what I want. I know I want _you_," she said softly. Her eyes were shining as her lips curved into a smile, and Jack saw any lingering doubt disappear in that smile. She closed her eyes and leaned against him, laying her head on his shoulder. Jack put his arms around her, holding her close. He was amazed at how completely at peace he felt right now. Not so long ago the future had seemed so dark and uncertain. Now it was full of promise, because no matter what happened, they would be facing it together.

The End


End file.
